There was CTA Orange line derailment
during rush hour yesterday in the downtown loop, which luckily, did not cause
any injuries to its passengers. The actual track, just south of the Van Buren
stop, suffered quite a bit of damage. When one of the wheels became derailed,
it cut the rail fasteners and wood atop the
inner track of the Loop ‘L’ structure, sending wood and steel raining to the
pavement from State to LaSalle along Van Buren.
No injuries have
been reported but due to the damage to the track, there were hours of delays
right during the busiest time of day for train commuters.
The CTA has not had
the best year, publicity wise, so far in 2014. Several months back, a blue line
train operator admitted to dozing off while pulling into O’Hare airport. As a
result, the train did not stop in time and the emergency brake did not activate,
causing the train to derail and crash up into the upstairs escalator.
Hopefully this will
be the last derailment we see in Chicago for a while. This derailment appears
to be a mechanical issue rather than human error. Though no official report
from the CTA has been released regarding the cause of the CTA train derailment.
If you or someone
you love has been injured in a Chicago train accident or Chicago bus accident,
then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.