Metra Derailment Kills 1, Injures Many

By Rachelle Bowden in News on Sep 17, 2005 11:48PM

Not long ago Chicagoist was wondering outloud to a friend, "what would happen if the train we're on right now, that's travelling this fast, suddenly came to a stop?" That's what happened this morning when a Metra train en route from Joliet derailled.

One passenger said she was sleeping and she woke up because the train started shaking. The next thing she knew, people were on the floor screaming. Another said the people in her car were full of blood. From what we read, the train just completely stopped, then rocked back and forth so violently that it seemed as though it was going to tip over. Books were flying in the air, people were screaming and crying and injured, it seems like it was complete fucking chaos.

ABC7 says 2 people died, most others are reporting 1 person died, and at least 83 people were injured in the derailment South Side. The 5-car train was coming from Joliet and derailed at 47th and Wentworth just after 8:30am.

Metra says it appears that all the signals were clear at the time of the accident. The location of the derailment is just a little north of the spot where another train derailed 2 years ago. Investigators from the NTSB are assessing damages and looking into the cause of the derailment but it could take 9-12 months to figure out the exact cause.

A Metra spokesperson said service should be restored fully by Monday.

Image via CNN