Chicago Suburb Runaway Train Accident Injures Over 30 Passengers

October 1st, 2013 |

FOREST PARK, IL – Over 30 passengers passengers were injured on Monday, September 30, after an out of service CTA commuter train got loose and then crashed into another train in Forest Park, IL. Forest Park is a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois.

A CTA commuter train mysteriously got loose and ran into another train injuring many passengers in Forest Park, IL on September 30, 2013.

The accident happened right before 8:00 a.m. at the Harlem station near Circle Ave and I-290 (the Dwight D Eisenhower Expressway). The mystery train somehow traveled a half mile unattended and bypassed two track switches and other safeguards before smashing head-on into another commuter train full of passengers on the Blue Line.

Map shows location of CTA commuter train accident at the Harlem Station in Forest Park, IL on September 30, 2013.

Authorities are sorting through the incident trying to figure out how the incident could have possibly happened. Suspicious activity was suspected at first, but then the focus of the investigation has shifted into the direction of there being some kind of defective equipment or system.

There were about 40 passengers aboard the train that was hit. Early reports indicate at least 30 injuries. There were no reports of any injuries to any railroad workers.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Blog post by Gordon, Elias & Seely, a FELA lawyer and Illinois railroad injury lawyer who publishes train accidents and FELA legal news from across the United States.