Amtrak train derails after striking truck, killing driver in University Park

An Amtrak train derailed Sunday after it struck a truck, killing its driver in south suburban University Park.

A man was driving a box truck about 5 p.m. when he was struck by Carbondale-bound train #393 on University Parkway, south of the University Park Metra station, an Amtrak spokesperson said.

The crash derailed the locomotive and five passenger cars, but they remained upright, the spokesperson said. Two of the 297 passengers had minor injuries. The passengers were were bused to their destinations.

The driver of the truck, 77-year-old Richard E. Millette, of Frankfort, was pronounced dead at 7:18 p.m., the Will County coroner’s office said. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

An Amtrak spokesman said service was disrupted on the tracks through Monday morning, but that trains were operating normally Monday afternoon.

The University Park police and Fire departments have not responded to requests for comment.