Nearly one year later, questions remain about CTA Yellow Line crash that injured dozens

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Published  November 15, 2024 4:47pm CST
FOX 32 Chicago
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Nearly one year later, questions remain about CTA Yellow Line crash that injured dozens

Saturday marks one year since the crash on the Chicago Transit Authority's Yellow Line that injured dozens. While some details have emerged, investigators are still working to determine what led to the incident.

The Brief

    • Saturday marks one year since the Yellow Line crash near Howard station, which injured 38 people, including a visiting family of five.
    • The NTSB is still investigating, revealing the operator had alcohol in his system, but many questions remain unanswered, with calls for transparency.
    • Following the crash, the CTA reduced the Yellow Line speed limit from 55 mph to 35 mph, and at the crash site, it’s now 25 mph.

CHICAGO - Saturday marks one year since the crash on the Chicago Transit Authority's Yellow Line that injured dozens. 

While some details have emerged, investigators are still working to determine what led to the incident.

In addition to physical injuries, the victims are grappling with the emotional toll of the terrifying crash.

On the morning of Nov. 16, a Yellow Line train collided with snow removal equipment near the Howard station in Rogers Park.

Among the 38 victims were a mother and father visiting their daughter and twin grandchildren from New York.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and has confirmed that the operator had alcohol in his system at the time of the crash. However, many questions remain, with calls for greater transparency.

"There was no indication at all they were going to be in a crash. The first thing they know is when bodies got catapulted out of their seats, into windows, into railings, and these twins in the stroller got literally thrown up in the air, the stroller twisted, and it crashed to the ground," said Richard Pullano, founding and senior partner of Pullano & Siporin. "My clients are just amazed and dumbfounded by the fact that you would put snow removal equipment on the same rails that a commuter train was on that morning. It shouldn't be that difficult to answer that question one year later. Just simply, why?" 

A CTA spokesperson said the Yellow Line speed limit was reduced from 55 mph to 35 mph after the crash, and at the crash site, it is now 25 mph.

The operator's employment status will be decided once he returns from medical leave.

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