A Chicago commuter train crashes into railroad equipment, injuring nearly 40 people, some seriously
CHICAGO– A Chicago commuter train collided with railroad equipment Thursday morning, injuring nearly 40 people, some seriously, fire officials said.
The Chicago Fire Department said the Chicago Transit Authority train crashed into snow removal equipment on the city’s north side near the Howard CTA station just before 10:35 a.m.
The Yellow Line train carrying 31 commuters and seven CTA employees was heading south from Skokie when it collided with slower-moving rail equipment, said Robert Jurewicz, the second district chief of the Chicago Fire Department.
Thirty-eight people, including four children, were injured. Twenty-three were taken to area hospitals and three of the injured were in critical condition, although none suffered life-threatening injuries, said Keith Gray, deputy chief paramedic. The train’s driver was among the most seriously injured, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The children suffered bumps and bruises, the newspaper reported.
He said the 15 others on the train refused medical treatment at the scene.
The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was sending a team to investigate the incident.
Shayla Smith, who was on her way to work in Wilmette, had just boarded a Purple Line train in Howard when she heard the collision. She said passengers on her train started screaming and she saw an elderly woman almost fall out of her seat.
“I just heard this horrible booming sound,” she told the Sun-Times. “It was like a weird boom sound. It felt like we were going to fall over and I was wondering what’s going on? My body was shaking.”
Television footage showed one end of the train being crushed and pushed inwards.
As passengers were led off the train, some were taken to a triage center with stretchers to be assessed, with at least one seen bleeding heavily from the head.
At least fifteen ambulances were sent to the scene.
CTA officials said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Train service on CTA’s Red, Purple and Yellow lines was temporarily suspended due to the accident, the shuttle service said on its website.
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This story has been updated to correct that 38 people were injured and 23 were taken to hospitals.