Last Friday, a train traveling from Freeport to Chicago derailed about 80 miles northwest of Chicago. Eighteen tank cars carrying highly flammable ethanol gas derailed creating an intense fire that forced hundreds of people from their homes, hurt at least 3 people and killed one woman.
Severe Injuries and a Fatality for Those Stopped at the Railroad Crossing
The Chicago Tribune reports that 4 people were traveling in an automobile that was stopped at the Cherry Valley railroad crossing when the train derailed. The 4 automobile passengers got out of the car and began to run from the fiery scene. The driver, a 41 year old woman from Rockford, collapsed shortly after evacuating her car and she died. The three other automobile passengers suffered severe burns. At least one of the passengers remains in critical condition.
What Caused the Accident?
According to the National Transportation Safety Board it could take investigators up to a year to determine the cause of the accident. Everything from weather conditions to track structure, from crossing signals to the materials carried by the train will be carefully examined by the team of federal investigators.
The survivors and loved ones of the 4 automobile passengers will be eagerly awaiting the outcome of the federal investigation because while we do not yet know what caused the train derailment, we do know the damage that the train derailment caused.