(DailyDig.com) – At least 38 individuals, including three in serious condition, were injured after a commuter train collided with rail machinery on November 16 at about 10:35 a.m. at the Howard Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) station, according to fire authorities.
There were 31 passengers on board the Yellow Line train, which included four children, as it crashed into the rail snowplows. Victims’ ages varied widely, from 2 to 75 years old.
Firefighters arrived, cut the power, swapped out the rails, and transported 31 people and 7 CTA employees to EMS, as reported by Robert Jurewicz, district chief of the Chicago Fire Department.
A paramedic, Keith Gray, said that 23 individuals were brought to surrounding hospitals, and three of those wounded were in severe condition; however, no one sustained life-threatening wounds. The conductor of the train was among those severely injured.
Videos taken at the scene of the crash show first responders busy at work examining passengers’ injuries and applying bandages.
Gray reported that EMS had problems examining the wounded passengers owing to the steep downhill terrain. Due to the conditions and the slopes, they had some difficulty making it to the train. When he arrived, firefighters and EMS workers were already triaging victims and preparing to remove them.
At least fifteen emergency medical vehicles were sent to the location. According to Gray, fifteen people at the site declined medical treatment.
After the accident, Governor J.B. Pritzker took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the emergency personnel who had responded. In a statement, Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago expressed his condolences to all who had been impacted and his gratitude to the heroic first responders who had been on the site. They continue to cooperate closely with emergency personnel as they monitor the situation.
Police and fire personnel have not validated Alderwoman Maria Hadden’s claim that the conductor may have had a medical issue just before the incident.
The CTA has said that they are still looking into what caused the accident.
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