Family of woman killed in Metra train crash in Clarendon Hills says collision with truck was preventable
CLARENDON HILLS, Ill. (CBS) -- An attorney for the family of a 72-year-old woman who was killed when the Metra train she was riding hit a box truck in west suburban Clarendon Hills said the collision "was an accident waiting to happen."
Christina Lopez, of Downers Grove, was killed when a BNSF Railway line train hit a truck that had stopped on the tracks in Clarendon Hills around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
On Thursday evening, freight trains were running through the Clarendon Hills crossing as crews worked to repair the railroad crossing. The accident remained a shock the to the village and especially to Lopez's family.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board has begun its investigation of the crash. NTSB vice chair Bruce Landsberg said Thursday that, contrary to initial reports that the box truck got stuck behind another vehicle and was blocked from moving off the tracks before the train hit, a pickup truck that had been in front of the box truck cleared the tracks before the crash, but the box truck didn't move before the crossing gates came down, even though it had time to do so.
"We don't know why the truck did not move. That's going to be one of the things that we have to discover," Landsberg said.
The truck is owned by a local moving company that isn't talking.
Steve Jambois, an attorney for Lopez's family, said there had been multiple complaints filed with Clarendon Hills about that railroad crossing, but nothing was done.
"From everything I've heard, that was an accident waiting to happen; that the traffic, because of the construction at that intersection, was so slowed down that people were in harm's way quite frequently, and that this was something that was bound to happen, and was very preventable," he said.
Asked if Lopez's family plans to sue the village of Clarendon Hills over the crash, Jambois said they are waiting for the results of the NTSB investigation.
Meantime, Lopez's son-in-law, Jeff Klonowski, asked anyone who might have information about previous problems at the intersection to come forward.
"This accident was preventable. If anyone has information, video footage, or any information that could help us get to some answers, we would much appreciate it, so please, please reach out. We want to get to answers, but also importantly we want to do our part to help, so that no family has to do and go through this tragedy again. It didn't have to happen," he said.
CBS 2's Sabrina Franza obtained exclusive video of the accident. The video was taken by Tom Szurgot from a car waiting at the crossing. Bells are heard and red lights are flashing, but the truck is poised under a partially-lowered crossing gate.
First, two people are seen getting out of the truck as the Metra train sounds its horn. Then, the Metra train plows right into the truck, also demolishing the crossing gate and taking down overhead wires. A cloud of black smoke emerges on the other side of the train, and the remains of the truck are revealed to be on fire after the train passes.
"It just sounded like, you can't explain it," said Samije Ademi. "It's something when you hear it, your heart beating starts getting faster because you know it's not normal."
Landsberg said, based on evidence collected so far, it appears one or both of the diesel tanks on the box truck were punctured in the crash, igniting the fire that engulfed the truck.
The NTSB will be in Clarendon Hills for several days to collect physical evidence and interview everyone involved in the crash as part of their investigation, according to Landsberg.
While the NTSB is still downloading data from the train's event recorder to determine exactly how fast it was going at the time of the crash, Landsberg said it appeared the train was not exceeding the 70 mph speed limit in place on that section of tracks. He also said it appeared the train had begun trying to stop before the impact.
"At those speeds, it takes about a mile to stop one of those trains, and we believe that the engineer started maximum emergency braking well before the point of impact at the crossing, because the train is only about a quarter of a mile from the point of impact, so they were attempting to slow down before they hit the truck," he said.
CBS 2 spoke to a delivery driver on Wednesday about issues with the train crossing.
Daniel Pehrson said he comes through the crossing at least 30 times a day while making his deliveries.
"There is a four-inch lip that's very sharp, and every single driver that comes on through here has to slow down to almost a stop to go over it," he said. "I actually got stuck on the tracks one time from somebody stopping and not going on the other side, and I was on tracks, and I was kind of nervous, but there was no train coming."
Landsberg said the NTSB investigation will examine every element involved in the crash, from the speed of the train to the crossing gates and signals, the design of the crossing, and more. Investigators will review footage from the cameras on board the train, as well as any other cameras that might have filmed the crash.
He asked any witnesses who might have seen or recorded the crash on camera to contact the NTSB by email at witness@ntsb.gov.
However, Landsberg said, based on camera footage they have reviewed so far, it appears the back end of the box truck swung around and slammed into the right side of the train after the front of the train hit the truck.
Lopez was ejected from the left side of the train, and while investigators have yet to determine exactly how that happened, Landsberg said it appears she might have been sitting on the right side of the train at the time of the collision.
Landsberg said it is "very unusual" for a train passenger to be injured in this kind of crash, but noted that the "tremendous amount of force" involved when the back of the truck hit the train helped propel Lopez out of the train.
The NTSB has raised concerns about passengers being ejected from trains during collisions for decades. According to the NTSB, people have been ejected from trains at least three times since 2013.
Meantime, Klonowski said Lopez's family is thankful for the outpouring of support they've received from the community since his mother-in-law was killed.
"We are very fortunate to have most of the extended family here. We got to celebrate Mother's Day with Chris included," Klonowski said. "Little did we know the blessing of that time that we had with her, and we're very thankful for it."
Lopez, a retired cleaning woman, was a mother of three and grandmother of five, and Klonowski said she frequently babysat for her grandchildren in Downers Grove.
"She was a devoted sister to her 10 siblings, seven of which are still with us today. She was a caring aunt to many nieces and nephews, as you can imagine. And she was a loyal, lifelong friend to many," he said.
Klonowski said the family was fortunate to be able to celebrate with Lopez and most of their extended family on Mother's Day, just days before the crash.
"We do know that she'll be terribly missed," he said. "Some people are black and white, other people are gray. She was the gray, but I say that in the most positive way. She was the glue to the family."
Klonowski said Lopez was on her way to visit her sister in La Grange at the time of the crash.
"We should all be thankful for the time that we have. I mean, time is a commodity that you just cannot get more of, and it's a sharp reminder to take advantage of the time that you have with loved ones, focus on what is important," he said.
Lopez had moved to Downers Grove a few years ago, after living most of her life in Chicago, and most recently working to clean offices at ABC 7 in downtown Chicago before she retired, according to Klonowski.
Four other people on the Metra train were injured in the crash that killed Lopez – including two passengers, a train conductor, and a train engineer.
The truck driver and two passengers in the box truck were able to escape before the collision, according to Landsberg.
The truck was badly burned, and the front car on the train also had major damage from the collision.
Emily Schwitz, who works nearby, said she saw the incident unfold. She said a crossing gate had come down, but the warning was not in full effect.
"One of the actual things had gone down, but there wasn't any sounds. So I saw the driver get out of the driver's seat and run, and by the time I looked back, the truck had been flipped almost upside down," she said.
Landsberg said, since 2017, there have been more than 500 incidents at train crossings in Illinois, 81 of them fatal. In DuPage County, there have been 28 train crossing indicents during that time, six of them fatal. In Clarendon Hills, there was one other crossing incident in the past five years, in which a pedestrian was killed by a train in 2017.
A preliminary report on the crash should be completed in about two weeks, but Landsberg said that report will not contain any analysis of the crash, just a statement of the facts at that point.
Landsberg said it will take at least three months to begin an analysis of the crash, and a final report likely will be completed in 12-18 months, and will include recommendations for preventing such an accident again.
The BNSF Railway was shut down for several hours after the crash on Wednesday, but resumed limited service ahead of the evening rush. On Thursday, the line was operating on a Saturday schedule, and was not making any stops in Clarendon Hills. On Friday, the BNSF Railway line will resume a normal weekday schedule, and trains will be making scheduled stops at Clarendon Hills.
However, the Prospect Avenue crossing will remain closed until further notice. Passengers may use the pedestrian crossing near the depot.