Passenger Was Ejected Out of Train Window in Fatal Clarendon Hills Crash: Officials

A 72-year-old woman who died when a Metra train slammed into a truck in suburban Clarendon Hills on Wednesday was ejected from the train by the force of the impact, officials confirmed Thursday. During a press conference detailing the latest findings into the investigation of the crash, National Transportation Safety Board officials confirmed that Christina Lopez was thrown through a window on the train when it struck a truck that was on the tracks at a crossing on Wednesday morning. At least four other people suffered minor injuries, including two passengers, a Metra employee and a train conductor, according to officials. At approximately 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Metra train on the BNSF line struck a moving truck on the tracks in Clarendon Hills. The truck was sent airborne by the force of the impact and ultimately caught fire. Authorities say they are still working to determine how fast the train was going when it hit the truck. Officials say that they believe the train was attempting to slow down, but that if the train was traveling near its maximum speed of 70 miles per hour that it could have taken up to a mile for it to stop. Officials are reviewing footage captured by several residents who were near the scene when the truck was hit. Authorities say that two occupants of the truck were able to get out of the vehicle before the collision and were not injured. It is unclear why the truck was on the tracks, and officials with the NTSB say that detail is “one of the key questions” their investigation will seek to answer. An investigation remains underway, and train schedules are being altered as clean-up efforts continue at the site.

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