In Chicago, Illinois ten people were injured today when a Chicago Transit Authority train derailed, according to WQAD.COM. The accident involved a Green Line train at a junction on the elevated tracks. At least two train cars reportedly derailed.
Train service is temporarily suspended in the area of the accident and shuttle buses are being used to transport passengers. The ten injured were taken to area hospitals for treatment.
In the Chicago Area suburb of Des Plaines, Illinois, a car driver was killed Thursday night by a Metra train, according to the Chicago Tribune. The car accident allegedly occurred when Robert Wells III of Des Plaines drove his vehicle around down crossing gates at Pearson and Minor Street and was hit by Union Pacific Northwest Train No. 645. A pedestrian was also hurt in the train accident when the car hit him after it spun away from the tracks and ended up on a sidewalk.
Ricky Collins, of Chicago, was the injured pedestrian. He was standing on the sidewalk waiting to cross the tracks when he was struck. He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Wells was pronounced dead at Lutheran General shortly after the crash. No other injuries were reported.
Two Chicago area Metra trains hit a minivan on Monday evening in the western suburb of Hinsdale, Illinois after the driver got stuck on the tracks and left his vehicle. Franciszek Chudzik, 72, of Aurora, Illinois allegedly crossed two sets of tracks and tried to make a left turn onto a third set of tracks when his vehicle got stuck, according to TheDoings-Hinsdale.com.
Witnesses actually tried to move the van before an eastbound train hit it. People had to yell at the driver to get out of the van before it was struck. The driver then exited the vehicle, put his keys in his pocket and walked away. The minivan was also hit by a second train heading westbound. One witness stated that the van tuned into a fireball after it was hit. The minivan was practically obliterated by the impacts. Click here for Hinsdale, Illinois van vs. train crash photo.
Chudzik was arrested at the scene of the train / car crash and charged with DUI. He allegedly had a blood alcohol content of greater than .08. The police officers conducted sobriety tests at the scene.
A Chicago area resident was killed in a car vs. train collision on Tuesday when his pick up truck got stuck on ice at a train crossing in Gary, Indiana. He was hit by a South Shore Line commuter train, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The man killed has been identified as Charles Jones of Gary, Indiana. It has been reported that the gates at the crossing were down and Jones went around them to beat the train. The train crash occurred at U.S. Highway 12 and County Line Road at about 5:30 a.m. between the Portage/Ogden Dunes and Miller stations. The train was headed to downtown Chicago.
It has not been indicated if there were injured train passengers, or if there was any negligent conduct on the part of the train operator. The train was supposed to be very crowded and standing room only.
In Cook County, Illinois, accident lawyers have already filed a train accident lawsuit on behalf of a family that was on the Amtrak train that crashed into a freight train on the South Side last Friday, according to the Chicago Sun Times. The lawsuit was filed against Amtrak and the Norfolk Southern Freight Company.
The victim and his family were headed to Chicago for a weekend of holiday shopping when the Chicago bound train, that was reportedly speeding, crashed into a freight train. He sustained a fractured shoulder and a concussion.
The lawsuit is alleging negligence against both train companies, and the personal injury lawyers that filed for the plaintiffs reportedly will be seeking a protective order for all documents related to the accident.
In Chicago, Illinois an Amtrak train has crashed into a freight train causing multiple injuries, according to the N.Y Times. The impact was strong enough to knock passenger seats off their hinges. There were 188 people on board at the time of the train crash, and those most seriously injured were near the front of the train.
The train was going from Chicago to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. The engine of the Amtrak came to rest on top of the freight train. Hydraulic tools had to be used to remove people from the engine car.
Over a dozen ambulances came to the accident site, and emergency workers also set up near by in an elementary school where injuries were assessed. The passengers were divided into 3 groups based on severity of injuries.
In the Chicago area suburb of Geneva, Illinois a pedestrian has been struck by a Metra train on the Union Pacific West Line railroad tracks around 5:30 p.m., according to the Daily Herald. The pedestrian, who has not been identified, died in the train accident. The occurrence took place near the Fox River. The Geneva Police and Fire Departments were on the scene, but there has not been any indication yet as to what caused the accident.
The Federal Railroad Administration reports that train related accidents in Illinois declined in 2006, but statistics for 2007 are not yet available.
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