Two elementary school students killed in train v. car collision in western Cook County suburbs

Two Pleasantdale Elementary School students were killed, and an adult was seriously injured, Wednesday after an Amtrak train at a Western Springs Metra railroad crossing crashed into a car they were in, authorities said.The collision halted all trains on the line. The driver was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, according to a news release from the village of Western Springs.Pleasantdale School District 101 Superintendent Dave Palzet said in a letter to the community that the district won’t release the names or ages of the students “out of respect for the family’s privacy.”“Words cannot express the heartbreak and sorrow we feel as we mourn this devastating loss,” Palzet said in the letter. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family. Our thoughts, prayers, and support are with them.”Palzet said students and staff were informed of the deaths by school social workers on Wednesday afternoon. Counselors and crisis staff are expected to be at the school Thursday to