Morton Grove accident: Pawel Malecki is charged with drunken driving after passersby rescued him from a vehicle struck by an Amtrak train on Lehigh Avenue

MORTON GROVE, Ill. (WLS) — A man has been arrested and charged with drunken driving after a car crash that resulted in a vehicle being struck by a train in the northern suburbs Thursday night.

Witnesses told ABC7 that the Amtrak train collided with the car shortly after a group of good Samaritans helped the driver get out of his vehicle, which was stuck on the tracks in Morton Grove. However, when police responded to the scene, the driver was taken into custody.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The wreckage of the accident was removed from the tracks on Friday, but the near-tragedy in Morton Grove still haunts witness David Murphy

“It didn’t slow down. It didn’t stop,” said witness David Murphy. “I mean, I don't think it could.”

Murphy had just gotten off a Metra train on his way home Thursday evening.

“It just went through the car,” Murphy said. “I was probably one of the first people in that group, and in front of us a car crossed right in front of us, not at the intersection, but across the grass, onto the tracks, and somehow turned south parallel to the tracks.”

According to police, 56-year-old Pawel Malecki was driving a parked vehicle on nearby Lehigh Avenue before hitting the tracks and disabling his Acura.

“As we approached the car, he was still there, trying to mess around on the southbound track,” Murphy said. “So we started yelling at him, 'You need to get out of your car.' One of the Metra passengers grabbed him and helped him escape the tracks.

Just minutes after Malecki was pulled to safety, he spoke to officers who were initially responding to a reckless driving complaint.

“The first Amtrak train that came through was going pretty fast,” Murphy said. “I mean, I don’t know how fast the Amtrak goes. It felt like it was 50, 60 miles an hour and then he hit the car.”

Luckily, no one else was in the car when the Amtrak train split the vehicle in half.

SEE ALSO | 1 injured after CTA Brown Line train collides with forklift on North Side, Chicago firefighters say

Morton Grove police say Malecki was driving drunk. The Mount Prospect man was arrested and charged with drunk driving.

“He has other things to worry about, but he’ll see another day,” Murphy said.

Police said Malecki is no longer in custody. He is due in court in Skokie in December.