Suburban Metra train collision; 1 dead and several injured
During yesterday morning’s commute, a serious collision occurred between the Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line and a trailer truck in the Mount Prospect neighborhood. The Union Pacific Northwest Line (UPNW) runs from Harvard to downtown Chicago and already makes several stops before reaching Mount Prospect. The collision between the truck and the train killed the truck driver and caused the front train car of the Metra train to derail. All of the train cars remained upright, but a few dozen passengers received personal injuries from the train accident and were taken to area hospitals or treated on the scene. None of the personal injuries received by the train passengers were believed to be life-threatening.
The derailment of the train car was caused by the impact from the trailer of the truck, which landed to the side of the intersection. The train came to a stop after clearing the crossing. However, the second car of the train was blackened from soot because the truck had caught fire. Passengers reported that the cars filled up with smoke; passengers popped out windows on the upper level of the train to exit. Many passengers apparently feared that the accident was a terrorist attack, but Mount Prospect Police Commander dismissed those fears, stating that the situation appears to be “a driver in a hurry.” One passenger noted that the impact was like an explosion.
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