Authorities on Monday identified the child who was among three killed when a Metra train struck a vehicle in Chicago the day before.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said 5-year-old Essence Ransberry was one of three people killed in the collision at around 5:30 p.m. Sunday evening. The medical examiner's office confirmed that two other people died in the crash but did not release their identities.
Authorities said Train 122 on Metra's Rock Island Line was heading toward downtown Chicago when it collided with an SUV in the 10300 block of South Vincennes Avenue in the city's Beverly neighborhood. A total of 41 passengers were onboard at the time, per Metra, with several injuries were reported.
One engineer sustained a leg injury, and a conductor was injured to her back, according to Metra spokesman Michael Gillis. Three passengers were injured, and two were transported to the hospital.
The train departed Joliet at 4:25 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Chicago's LaSalle Street station at 5:25 p.m. When the collision occurred, the train was operating as an express train to downtown, traveling at approximately 79 miles per hour, according to the transit agency.
Inbound and outbound train movement was initially halted near 103rd Street following the collision, Metra said, and trains experienced delays for several hours after the crash.
Gillis said late Sunday that the circumstances surrounding the incident remained unclear.
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"There’s no indication the gates were malfunctioning," he told reporters at a news conference. "But I don’t know, I can’t say at this point what happened at the intersection."
Metra officials were planning to view footage captured by a camera onboard the train with the hope of learning what led up to the collision.
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