38 Injured, 3 Critically, in Chicago CTA Train Crash

A crash involving a Chicago Transit Authority train occurred Thursday morning in the city’s Rogers Park neighborhood on the north side, injuring at least 38 people, three of whom are in critical condition, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

At least four children were also among those injured when the train crashed into a piece of equipment on the rails around 11 a.m., reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Firefighters later said the southbound Yellow Line train crashed into a slow-moving snowplow roughly 300 yards from Howard Station.

A total of 23 people were transported to area hospitals, while 15 others refused medical assistance. Among the most critically injured was the CTA operator, who was reportedly near the point of the collision. None of their identities have been disclosed at this time.

One person in serious condition and two others in fair condition are being treated at the Illinois Masonic Medical Center, according to a hospital spokesperson, while the Swedish Covenant Hospital confirmed it was treating six others, all in good condition.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it would launch an investigation into the crash.

The collision was described as occurring between two vehicles moving in the same direction, but with the train traveling roughly 30 mph and the plow moving at a “slow crawl,” somewhere around 10 mph, said Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford.

“The train was much faster and it rear-ended the plow,” Langford added.

Shayla Smith, a passenger who had boarded a Purple Line train at Howard Station right before the incident, recalled hearing the crash.

“I just heard like a horrible boom sound,” she said. “It felt like we’re gonna tip over and I was wondering what’s going on?”

“My body shivered,” she added, calling the overall experience “traumatizing.”