Did O'Hare train driver fall asleep at the wheel? President of transit union says 'indication is there' that she dozed off before derailing the train, injuring more than 30 people

  • Transit union president says the driver was 'extremely tired'
  • The driver immediately started helping passengers after the collision
  • The crash happened Monday morning during rush hour, just before 3 a.m.
  • An out-of-service eastbound train hit a westbound train that was stopped at the Harlem station in Forest Park, 10 miles west of downtown Chicago
  • Dozens of people were taken to local hospitals complaining of back and neck pain. The injuries were non-life-threatening

PUBLISHED: 20:01 EST, 24 March 2014 | UPDATED: 04:05 EST, 26 March 2014


The president of a Chicago transit union says there are indications the operator of a commuter train that derailed at O'Hare International Airport dozed off.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308 President Robert Kelly says the operator told him she had worked a lot of overtime recently and was 'extremely tired.'

'The indication [that she dozed off] is there, yes,' Kelly said during a news conference Monday. 'She has worked a lot of hours in the past weekend, and the indication is there.'

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Authorities inspect the wreckage of two Chicago Transit Authority trains that crashed Monday, September 30, 2013, in Forest Park, Illinois

Authorities inspect the wreckage of two Chicago Transit Authority trains that crashed Monday, September 30, 2013, in Forest Park, Illinois

This image from video provided by NBC Chicago shows the aftermath of a crash involving two Chicago Transit Authority trains

This image from a video provided by NBC Chicago shows the aftermath of a crash involving two Chicago Transit Authority trains

About four dozen people were injured in the accident. None of the injuries were serious

About four dozen people were injured in the accident. None of the injuries were serious

 

About 3 a.m. Monday, a Chicago Transit Authority train jumped the tracks at the O'Hare stop,
skidded across a platform and scaled an escalator leading to the airport. More than 30 people were injured.

There were no life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the train, who is yet to be identified, has worked for the CTA for about a year, Kelly said, and has worked a lot of overtime recently. However, she had 17 hours off between her last shift and her shift Monday morning.

'So she had an ample amount of time to be off that day,' Kelly told the Chicago Tribune. 'I do know she works a lot, as a lot of our members do.'

After the crash, the unidentified driver immediately got off the train began checking on passengers.

The driver was treated for an injury to her leg and released from a local hospital. She will be interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board agents on Tuesday.

According to Kelly, the driver didn't appear to be speeding at the time of the derailment.

'All the reports that we’ve received from the towermen and the supervisor on duty indicate that she was not coming in at a fast speed at all, she was coming in like every other train, normal,' Kelly said.

NTSB agents will analyze her work schedule and activities in the week leading up to the crash. They will also check her medical history as part of the investigation.

According to the Tribune, the driver already has undergone routine drug and alcohol testing.

The crash happened

The crash happened when a westbound train stopped at the CTA Blue Line Harlem station, and was struck by an eastbound train on the same track

Several ambulances were sent to the scene of the crash, where as many as four dozen people were injured

Several ambulances were sent to the scene of the crash, where as many as four dozen people were injured

Martinez Butler, a train engineer for another company, said he witnessed the collision.

'There was a train that was stopped at the station. Another train came through and looked like it blew the signal, because I heard beeping,' she told NBC Chicago.

'I'm a locomotive engineer,' she added. 'I know the systems, I know the sounds. When you hear those beepings it's warning you that there is an obstruction in front of you and you need to stop.'


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The train that crashed in and killed 9 people was automated.

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In DC

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The Metro that crashed in DC in 09 was automated

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Union, hmmmm - Chicago..... kinda sums up a lot in my mind.

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Since when is 3am rush hour?

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Why are the photos here completely different than the O'Hare crash yesterday where the train went up the escalator?

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Oh, I see now. Because the pictures are from a COMPLETELY different accident from 2013 which isn't even referred to in the article!

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Where is 3 AM "Rush Hour"?

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I like old fashioned control devices but automation to prevent accidents should be designed in.

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Why, in the 21st century, are these trains not automated? I have the technology to control my entire home from my phone, whilst sitting on the other side of the planet, but we can't automate a transit train? C'mon...

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It's spelled U-N-I-O-N-S

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Sleepiness is just as dangerous as drunkenness. People who drive trains, buses, and planes should have to undergo an alertness test every time they clock in. Just give them the same test they give to people who get pulled over for a DUI.

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