A pair of Chicago train accidents claimed two lives and injured several others Thursday afternoon.
A woman remained hospitalized Friday morning after her husband was killed in a Chicago car accident involving a train. Their car was struck by a Metra train in Bensenville at a railroad crossing near York Road and Main Street at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center.
The woman was taken to Elmhust Memorial Hospital in serious but stable condition.
Authorities are investigating two Chicago subway accidents recently involving C.T.A. Blue Line trains.
A person died October 25th in the afternoon after being hit by the Blue Line train in the loop, according to WGNtv.
Police were conducting a death investigation shortly after 1 p.m. at the Monroe Street subway station. Northbound and southbound trains temporarily operated on a singled track between Grand Avenue station and the Racine Avenue station, bypassing Monroe.
Authorities are investigating what caused a CTA train to take off with a baby stroller lodged in a door; the stroller was dragged along the platform until the little girl was flung onto the ground along the tracks.
The child’s adult caregiver told police the train took off with the stroller caught in its doors, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Some Chicago train accidents have nothing to do with crashing trains. But, like in this instance, involve people who are injury embarking or disembarking, fall in a stairwell or on a platform or are injured in a Chicago car accident at a railroad crossing.
There are fewer instances of trains blocking Chicago streets, Canadian National Railway told regulators Tuesday, but acknowledged more work needs to be done after its purchase of Chicago area-tracks from Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway.
The company said it had 11 instances of trains blocking Chicago-area streets for 10 minutes or longer in May, compared to 14 in April and 50 in March when it first acquired the tracks that arc westward around Chicago through Illinois and Indiana suburbs, according to a report Tuesday in the Journal of Commerce.
The Chicago car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes monitor the local railway industry and its impact on motorists’ safety. In addition to the deadly Rockford, IL, train crash last week, which was also operated by Canadian National Railway, instances of trains blocking area roads for an extended length of time can lead to car accidents.
Rear-end collisions are common. Motorists also can become understandably frustrated with the delay and attempt to drive around down-track gates, leading to the potential for accident and injury once the train begins moving again. And, when train blockages at intersections become a common occurrence, motorists can sometimes try to get through ahead of an oncoming train.
The Canadian railroad company also reported the duration of the delays is declining — from several instances of roadway traffic being stalled for hours because of stopped trains in March, to two lengthy delays in April and one last month.
That train stretched more than a mile long with 106 loaded railcars and blocked a road at Joliet, Ill., for an hour, after stalling on an uphill climb as it headed out of town.
The company reports corrective action for each blockage in an attempt to pacify suburban complaints, where the acquisition is being contested in federal court. It also admitted the problem has been alleviated somewhat by a down economy and fewer freight loads and train trips.
Canadian National Railway also said it has made safety presentations at several area schools, and has posted 225 “no trespassing” signs on its railroad property from Gary, Ind., to West Chicago.
Continue reading
In Rockford, Illinois a woman was killed Friday night after a Canadian National Railway Co. freight train derailed, according to the N.Y. Times. The victim was in a car waiting for the train to pass by. The rail cars were carrying ethanol, and when 18 cars derailed there was a large explosion. Hundreds of people from nearby homes had to be evacuated.
At one point 14 train cars were on fire, and 5 were still burning the next morning. The flames lasted though Saturday. 74 cars on the train were carrying ethanol.
Three other people at the scene were able to flee from their cars and survive, however they were severely burned. They were taken to area hospitals for treatment. The woman who died, Zoila Tellez of Rockford, also tried to flee, but only made it 20 feet and then collapsed.
In Romeoville, Illinois an elderly husband and wife were killed Thursday afternoon when their car was hit by an Amtrak train after they allegedly went around a descending crossing arm and started across the tracks, according to the Naperville Sun. The train accident occurred at New Avenue and Romeo Road around 1 pm.
The couple, Harry C. Hoffman, age 74 and his wife, Doreen J. Hofman, age 64 died at the scene. The damage to the vehicle was so bad that the police are not yet able to state who was driving the car. One occupant was ejected from the vehicle and the car was badly damaged and knocked several hundred feet down the tracks.
There are several issues related to the train crash being reported. First, while the gates descended there was still a green light for traffic, which police are speculating may have confused the driver. Further, witnesses are reporting that the car made a right turn on to the tracks as the gates were still descending, not after they were already down.
It is likely that Chicago train crash lawyers will soon be involved. The attorneys that handle the case will likely retain train safety experts to help them determine the causes of the accident.
One issue that I am curious about is the the fact that the couple’s car was hit while the gates were still on the way down, or had just gotten down, by a train traveling at a high speed through a congested suburban area. (Were the gates dropping too late? Was the train speeding?) Further, I would like to know more about the traffic lights and whether the crossing is confusing to drivers.
It is being reported that this deadly accident is not the first train vs. motor vehicle collision at this crossing.
Continue reading
Train service on the Metra Union Pacific North Line was delayed for over two hours on Thursday evening after a train hit a pedestrian on the North Side of Chicago, according to chicagobreakingnews.com. The accident occurred around 5 p.m. just South of the Rogers Park train station.
The train engineer on outbound train no. 339 reported the collision and then stopped the train. Emergency workers found the body near Ravenswood and Thome Avenue.
The man hit by the train appeared to be in his 20s and it has not been reported as to why he was on the tracks. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
In Chicago, Illinois a truck and a CTA train collided this past Sunday afternoon, according to MSNBC. The train accident occurred at 4648 N. Kedzie Avenue when a truck tried to get around the crossing gates while a CTA brown line train was pulling out of the Kedzie station. The train hit the back end of the truck, and it did not derail.
Service was delayed for an hour as workers moved the train back and got the truck off the tracks. Normal service was going again by 2 pm. The truck driver was ticketed for causing the collision.
While no injuries have been reported at this time, if people involved in the crash were injured, here’s what could happen: The passengers on the train have a claim against the truck driver and the trucking company that caused the accident. Typically, trucks carry larger commercial insurance policies, so unless there were catastrophic injuries (and none were reported here) there should be enough insurance to cover the loss.
In Chicago, Illinois, a CTA employee is lucky to be alive after being electrocuted while working as a flagger on the elevated tracks near the Belmont platform. Kathy Cardenas, age 32, was electrocuted on July 24, 2008, after she made contact with the 3rd rail. Her left hand and arm, and her back side were badly burned. She was rushed to Illinois Masonic Medical Center for medical attention where she was hospitalized and underwent skin grafts.
Ms. Cardenas has retained Chicago accident lawyers from Abels & Annes, P.C. to represent her with co-counsel in a workers’ compensation claim against the Chicago Transit Authority.
In Chicago, Illinois it is now being reported that twenty-four people were injured today when a Chicago Transit Authority train derailed, this according to NBC News and several other news sources. The accident involved a Green Line train at a junction on the elevated tracks located at 319 E. Garfield Ave. on the South Side. At least two train cars reportedly derailed.
Train service was temporarily suspended in the area of the accident and shuttle buses are being used to transport passengers. The injured were taken to area hospitals for treatment with non-life-threatening injuries.
Click here for crash photo and full story.
Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog