Cargo container strikes railroad bridge, falls onto car, prompting Route 41 closure in Gurnee

A cargo container struck a railroad bridge and rolled onto the ground, striking a car and causing Route 41 in Gurnee to be shut down Friday evening, authorities said.

The Gurnee Fire Department and Gurnee Police Department responded around 7:35 p.m. Friday to the area of Route 41 and Depot Road for a vehicle crash with injuries.

Officers arrived to find a crash involving a semi-truck and a 2010 Toyota Corolla at the Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks.

Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor said the semi-truck, driven by a 31-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio man, was traveling southbound.

The freight container on the truck’s flatbed trailer struck a bridge support beam and the impact caused the freight container to fall onto the roadway off of the trailer, Gaylor said.

The Toyota, driven by a 29-year-old Wilmette woman, was traveling southbound at the same time and became pinned between the fallen container and the guardrail.

“Fortunately, no injuries were reported in this incident,” Gaylor said.

Gurnee Fire Department Lt. Robert Samuel said the storage cargo container was empty and only had scrap items in it.

Minimal damage was reported on the semi-truck. Ernie’s Wrecker Service was called to the scene to remove the cargo container from the roadway.

The railroad bridge had repairs performed to it in March following a separate crash. No obvious damage was seen on the bridge following the latest crash, Samuel said.

The Canadian Pacific Railroad was notified and halted rail traffic to inspect the bridge for damage.

Gaylor said southbound Route 41 between Route 21 and Delany Road was closed for approximately two hours while crews worked to clear the scene.

The driver of the semi-truck was cited for exceeding the maximum vehicle height. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.