Articles Posted in Train Accident

Though the city of Chicago has a large population, the number of people in the city during the working hours is much large as so many people choose to work in the city but live in the suburbs. To make this possible, many commuters drive themselves, carpool, or take public transportation into and from the city everyday, allowing them to make the journey to work and back with little hassle.

One of the most popular ways to travel into the city remains the system of commuter trains, many of which run out from the city in one direction and provide return trips. These lines are heavily utilized with daily ridership running between a few thousand and over sixty thousand passengers. Some lines have multiple trains running at a given time in each direction and can have express and local trains sharing the same areas.

With so many trains and so many riders, unfortunately there are occasional train accidents involving the pedestrians surrounding the street level crossings and/or the train station platforms. It appears that one such collision happened on Friday morning in Buffalo Grove.

Police have reported that they received reports of a body lying on the tracks used by the North Central Service Metra line, a commuter line that averaged about 5,400 passengers each weekday during 2010. When emergency crews responded, they determined that in fact a body of a 49-year-old female Buffalo Grove woman was found on the tracks with trauma consistent with a train collision. The woman was dead by the time authorities arrived.

What remains unclear is which train struck the woman and why that train crew did not alert police to the incident and call for help for the victim. The incident is currently under investigation by local police and Metra police who will try to determine exactly what happened.
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Train accidents can happen anywhere a train runs and can involve only one train or multiple trains. Other vehicles, like cars and buses, may be involved in an accident as can foreign objects on the tracks. Of all of the types of train-related collisions, one of the most severe is when a train collides with a pedestrian. These instances almost always lead to serious injuries, or often, to the death of the pedestrian.

Many pedestrian-involved collisions happen in highly populated areas with a lot of train traffic and a lot of foot traffic crossing train tracks or intersections. In Illinois, this means that many of these collisions happen in Chicago and the surrounding areas and involve either city CTA trains, commuter Metra trains, or other long distance trains, like Amtrak or commercial carriers of freight.

Injury lawyers know that these accidents can be devastating and it can be difficult for victims to obtain the relief they deserve. It can also be hard to determine who is at fault and whether any safety malfunctions contributed to the crash.

Unfortunately police have confirmed that a collision between a Metra train and a pedestrian occurred this morning in Tinley Park though it is not yet clear if that collision happened at the Metra station located in the village. Right now, officials can only confirm that a train hit a pedestrian and that the train and two inbound trains to Chicago were stopped as a result.

The condition of the victim is not currently known, nor is it clear if that person survived the initial impact.

Police and Metra officials are beginning their investigations to learn why this crash happened and whether negligence on the part of any party lead to the collision between the train and the pedestrian.
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Some Chicago-area commuters are facing lengthy delays this morning after two CTA blue line trains collided, temporarily shutting down the tracks and sending dozens of injured victims to area hospitals for treatment.

CTA officials have confirmed that a collision occurred around 8:00 a.m. and that it involved two blue line trains, one of which was in service and carrying passengers near the Harlem stop in Forest Park. Reportedly the other train involved was not in service and had no passengers on board.

At this point, it appears that the in-service train was stopped at Harlem and was picking up and dropping off blue line passengers as part of the morning commute. That train was on the outbound tracks when the conductor noticed another train on the same tracks but traveling in the opposite direction, heading for an immediate impact. The out-of-service inbound train struck the in-service outbound train with enough force to crumple parts of each train and injure dozens, sending 33 people to area hospitals, according to a CTA report.

The Forest Park mayor stated that the conductor of the in-service train reported that there was no one in the front car of the out-of-service train as it traveled towards him, leading many to wonder how many workers were on board and what caused the trains the be on the same track.

After the crash, CTA officials evacuated the train and the Harlem station. All CTA service through Harlem was suspended for approximately two hours and CTA buses were used to shuttle people around the downed tracks. As of approximately 10:00 a.m., train traffic on the blue line had resumed but no trains are stopping at the Harlem station.

The CTA provides millions of rides to Chicago residents, commuters, and visitors every year on its trains and buses around the city and the surrounding areas. Many people board a CTA vehicle with little thought to their personal safety, trusting the CTA and its employees to exercise care and caution through the operation of their trains. Yet unfortunately collisions like the one that happened this morning continue to exist and are often the result of negligence on the part of the CTA, an employee or both.
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CTA train riders may have found their transit times delayed early yesterday morning along the red line tracks due to an earlier train derailment. Police have reported that a CTA train entered the station at 63rd Street and Ashland Avenue experienced what the CTA calls a “minor derailment,” leaving the train unable to continue on its route and significantly delaying trains behind it.

The incident occurred just before 1:00 a.m. on Thursday and forced the CTA to shut down power to a section of the red line tracks. Those on the derailed train were removed from their cars by officials and at this time, it does not appear that any serious injuries occurred. Passengers on two subsequent trains were stranded behind the derailed cars and had to be removed as well, some by walking along the tracks to a station and others through the use of a fire department ladder.

Service to the affected area of the tracks remained out for nearly five hours, causing some commuters to utilize buses provided by the CTA while others found a different way to travel.

It is fortunate that no one, passenger or CTA employee, was seriously injured in this crash. Often, though, when a public transit train derails, many people sustain injuries, some seriously. Passengers inside a public train do not have access to many of the safety features found in other forms of transportation, like seat belts, air bags, or padded surfaces. This means that when a train derails, a passenger can be thrown about inside the train with ease, possibly striking other passengers or hard surfaces within a train car.

Employees are also likely to be injured in a train derailment accident. A train derailment can result from many different causes but when the train begins to come off of the tracks towards the front of the train, the front car containing an operator may also derail, increasing the chances of injuries.
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A mass memorial is planned for Monday evening to celebrate the lives of 79 passengers who were killed last week while riding aboard a Spanish train that derailed. New video footage of the derailment has been obtained by ABC and shows just how devastating the crash was.

The train was near its destination of Ferrol when it took a curve around a bend in the tracks. Experts who have reviewed the video say that the critical point happens when the second car in the train begins to leave the tracks with the subsequent cars, and also the engine, following. The train cars slammed into a concrete barrier and came to a rest off the tracks. While investigators are still combing through the wreckage, it is believed that 79 people have died and that more than 70 other remain hospitalized five days later. Though dozens of additional passengers were hurt, they have been treated and released at this point in time.

With no apparent malfunction of the train itself or the tracks, the initial investigation focused on the speed of the train at the time of the derailment. The driver of the train reportedly admitted that he was driving at about 120 miles per hour as he entered the bend. Though the tracks accommodate high speed rail and some sections allow for travel up to 155 miles per hour, the bend in question had a maximum speed limit of about 55 miles per hour. If true, the driver was traveling at more than twice the legal speed as he entered the curve. Several news outlets are now reporting that the train driver may have been on the phone at the time of the accident.Authorities successfully recovered the data recorders from the train and those are being analyzed by forensic experts as police attempt to piece together the crash facts. They are confident in the driver’s role in the crash, though, and on Sunday charged the man with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness and an undetermined number of counts related the injuries he caused. He was arrested but has been granted conditional release with the requirement that he surrender his passport and appear in court weekly. His license to operate a train has been suspended for at least six months and may be permanently revoked pending the outcome of the investigation.

The victims of the crash include residents of Spain, Europe, Latin America, and two from the United States. Not all of the bodies have been identified and therefore cannot be released to the families yet but officials are hopeful that this will happen soon.
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Two passenger trains collided in Connecticut on Friday, injuring more than 70 people and sending many to the hospital. Since the crash, authorities have been investigating the scene and the trains themselves in an effort to uncover the cause of the collision.Authorities may have found a significant clue when they came upon a fractured segment of track near the area of the crash. It has been determined that the broken track was not caused by sabotage but it is not clear whether the fracture existed before the crash or was caused by the crash.

The area of the track at issue underwent repair work last month and has since been removed for analysis, which a derailing train crossed before it derailed and collided with a second train on Friday.

The crash occurred between two commuter trains during rush hour when an eastbound train from New York traveling to New Haven, Connecticut derailed and collided with a westbound train headed to New York. The crash injured dozens and several remain hospitalized today, including some in critical condition, though there have been no deaths thus far. The rail line between New York and New Haven is the busiest in the nation and serves 125,000 commuters each day.

The investigation originally began with local police and the FBI but now is run by the United States National Transportation Safety Board after a determination that there was no foul play involved. The Connecticut governor has stated that the train cars themselves are designed to the latest standards for passenger safety and it may be the first collision involving this type of car.

Though this collision occurred in Connecticut, it is similar to collisions that happen in Illinois every year. Illinois and particularly Chicago are known for heavy train traffic, including passenger trains, that provide commuter transit as well as travel for longer journeys.

Train tracks can fracture from time to time as regular train passengers know. Once stretch of train tracks frequented by Chicago commuters fractured twice in a matter of weeks during a cold spell earlier in 2013. While this merely caused delays and inconvenience to Chicago commuters, it could have caused derailments and other injuries.

In addition to fractured tracks, train collisions occur as a result of other factors, including inattentive drivers, broken signals, speeding trains, disregarding train traffic signals, and general negligence by the train conductor and/or dispatch crew.
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UPDATED STORY: Tribune Local is now reporting that a vehicle has been found buried in the train wreckage and one person has been killed.

Rescue workers are saying that one victim was in the car and that they are trying to remove the person. The name of the victim has not been reported.

Major Train Derailment in the Chicago area causes no injuries, but local residents are nervous

As an Illinois train crash lawyer, how do I know local residents are nervous? Because I am one of them. I live in the area of the derailment and I travel under that viaduct several times a week.

During the 4th of July celebrations in Glenview and Northbrook, the train crash was all people were talking about. Yesterday afternoon I went out to the accident scene, which was crowded with concerned locals. The freight train was carrying coal. Fortunately no injuries have been reported.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the train derailed near Willow Road and Shermer Avenue in Northbrook at 1:45 p.m. Investigators are currently looking into the cause of the accident.

Glenview and Northbrook residents were reminded of a 2009 derailment in the same location which also caused significant damage and resulted in no injuries.

The train that derailed yesterday was large with three engines and 138 cars. About a third of the train crossed the overpass at Shermer Avenue successfully before the bridge collapsed, causing 31 cars to derail and starting a small fire. The remaining cars and the engines did not derail.

Several residents were on scene shortly after the accident. While it appears that no one was injured, a derailment of this magnitude could have easily claimed the lives of pedestrians and motorists in the area, as well as individuals on board the train. Many Northbrook residents remain nervous about their safety after this accident.

The derailment occurred on a stretch of Union Pacific tracks that does not service Metra passenger trains. However many pedestrians work and live in the area where the derailment occurred.

Immediate plans are to construct a temporary track by placing stones where the bridge used to be with long term plans to build a new bridge.

Roads in the area were closed and cleanup crews were on the scene yesterday, though it could take months for all of the cleanup to be completed, leaving area residents with the remnants of the derailment for some time to come.

I can tell you that residents in the area are certainly talking about a lot of “what ifs” today. What if a car was under the bridge at the time of the accident, what if a pedestrian was on the sidewalk. Two derailments in the same location has everyone in the community very concerned.

Personally, I can tell you that once repairs are made I will no longer be driving under that viaduct. I will take the long way, not worth the risk.
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A train accident in Illinois took the lives of two elderly women earlier this week. The two women had just dropped off a friend before their car slammed through the crossing gates near 167th Street and Central Avenue, according to the Chicago Tribune. The seven-car train plowed into the vehicle and pushed it along the tracks for several hundred feet. The lead car eventually derailed but remained upright. The train was traveling at speeds of up to 96kph when the incident occurred.There were 89 people aboard the train at the time of the accident. Seven were taken to various local hospitals with minor injuries. A number of passengers credited the driver with keeping the entire train from derailing. According to Metra officials, the track was bent as a result of the accident. It will have to undergo repairs before train services can resume. National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway says that federal officials have already been notified of the accident and are currently investigating the cause.

As we recently reported on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, Illinois is one of 10 states that has been ordered by the federal government to develop additional safety measures to reduce the number of fatal accidents that occur at railroad crossings. Neglecting to develop these new safety measures can result in a loss of funding.

Since 2006, Illinois has witnessed nearly 600 grade-crossing accidents involving trains, vehicles and/or pedestrians. These accidents have resulted in nearly 100 deaths. These statistics land Illinois at second place for the highest number of rail-crossing accidents in the nation.

In our state, roughly a quarter of all fatal train accidents have occurred at crossings with gates. About 75 percent of fatal train accents happened at crossings that have other types of traffic control devices, like signs and flashing lights.

Follow these safety tips to help prevent a collision at a railroad crossing:

-Never drive around gates that have been lowered. Not only is it illegal, but it can be deadly.

-Never race a train to the crossing.

-Only go through a crossing if you’re sure you can safely cross the entire track.

-If your vehicle gets stuck on the tracks at a crossing, call your local law enforcement agency for assistance. You should only try to restart if you can post lookouts to warn of approaching trains.

-Be on the lookout for a second train when crossing multiple tracks.

-You should always expect a train on the track. Trains do not follow set schedules.

-Never ignore safety devices like lights, gates and bells.

-Only cross tracks at designated roadway crossings.

The Federal Highway Administration reports that there were nearly 2,000 incidents at public highway-rail crossings in the United States in 2009. These incidents resulted in nearly 250 deaths and more than 700 injuries. About 75 percent of these incidents happened during daytime hours.
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