Investigators are still trying to determine what caused a CTA yellow line train to slam into a piece of snow removal equipment, injuring dozens of people on Thursday. NBC 5’s Courtney Sisk reports.
As many as 38 people were injured in a train crash Thursday morning that involved a Chicago Transit Authority train, fire officials confirm.
According to the Chicago Fire Department, the crash happened at 7519 N. Paulina, between Evanston and Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood.
At a Thursday afternoon press conference, CFD said at least 38 people were evaluated by medical personnel after the crash. Of those, 23 were transported to area hospitals. At least three were critically injured. No life-threatening injuries were reported, CFD said.
Four of those injured were children, CFD said during the update. Additionally, one person required a "special rescue" from the Evanston Fire Department, a tweet from the Evanston Police Department said.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed later Thursday that they were investigating the cause of the collision.
In a statement, the CTA said the incident occurred at 10:39 a.m., when the agency received reports of a Yellow Line train "making contact with rail equipment in the Howard Rail Yard."
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CFD later clarified that a Yellow Line train struck a snow CTA plow train in the rail yard.
"Both Yellow and Purple line service has been temporarily suspended," the statement continued. "Yellow Line riders should use the #97 Skokie bus route as an alternative. Purple Line riders can use the #205 Chicago/Golf bus route or other adjacent bus route."
Several streets in the area were closed following the crash, including Chicago Avenue between South Boulevard and Howard Street.
Clifford Law Offices promptly filed a lawsuit against the CTA on Thursday shortly after the crash on behalf of a 52-year-old man who was a passenger on the train on his way to see a friend.
"Snow plow equipment on a train track. It's 62 degrees today in Chicago. Why is that, or any other equipment, on the same rail as an L train transporting passengers?" Henry Simmons of Clifford Law said.
Clifford Law said their client was in the second train car at the time of the crash, and was among those hospitalized in the aftermath of the incident.
For others near the incident, the crash caused confusion and fear.
One Purple Line passenger told NBC Chicago she thought the train could have been on fire, while a CTA employee described seeing a child taken into an ambulance in the crash's aftermath.
"So many crews, working fast and working hard. Just scary seeing how bad the damage to the train was," CTA employee Katya Bonilla said.
Shortly after the crash, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted that his administration was "closely monitoring" the derailment, and would direct "any available resources needed."
"Terrible news out of Chicago this afternoon," the tweet said. "My administration is closely monitoring the train derailment on the North Side and will direct any available resources needed. Thank you to the CFD firefighters and first responders on the scene."
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and there is currently no further information available.
