CLARENDON HILLS, Ill. — A woman who died when a commuter train collided with a semitrailer at a crossing in suburban Chicago was thrown through a train window by the force of the crash, the vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
A “tremendous amount of force propelled" the woman through the window, the NTSB'S Bruce Landsberg said at a news briefing.
Nothing was preventing the truck from moving off the rail crossing, Landsberg said.
“We don’t know why the truck did not move,” he said. “The truck could have moved. It didn’t.”
Investigators believe an ensuing fire occurred when a diesel fuel tank on the truck was punctured and fuel came in contact with something hot, Landsberg said.
No one in the truck was hurt. The crash halted inbound and outbound rail service near Clarendon Hills.
A coroner Thursday identified the passenger who was killed.
DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said the collision killed Christina Lopez, 72, of Downers Grove.
The Metra train's engineer and conductor also were injured in the crash about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate.
The Chicago Journal needs your support.
At just $20/year, your subscription not only helps us grow, it helps maintain our commitment to independent publishing.