Cortland teen apparently struck by train

An 18-year-old Cortland man suffered severe injuries after apparently being struck by a train late Saturday night, according to Cortland police.

Union Pacific Railroad employees on a train passing Somonauk Road reported seeing an injured person lying between the rails of the other track just west of the crossing about 10:45 p.m., Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said. Cortland police officers responded to the area and found the man, who appeared to have been struck by a train, according to a statement from police.

The man was taken by ambulance to Kishwaukee Community Hospital and then airlifted to a Rockford hospital, the statement said. Police have not released the man's name or the name of the hospital where he was taken.

Eastbound and westbound trains were stopped for several hours while Cortland police and investigators from the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office investigated.

Two trains that had been in the vicinity about the same time were stopped and inspected for signs of a collision, Davis said. As of Sunday afternoon, he said Union Pacific's investigation is ongoing and no definitive conclusions had been reached.

The incident remains under investigation by Cortland police and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office.