Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

The train after the crash AP Photo/NBC Chicago, Kenneth Webster, File

Driver 'dozed off' before train hit escalator

The woman only woke when the train hit the escalator.

THE OPERATOR OF a Chicago commuter train that crashed at O’Hare International Airport admitted she “dozed off” before the accident, waking only when the train jumped off the tracks and climbed an escalator.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Ted Turpin said the woman had been working as an operator for about two months and acknowledged she’d previously fallen asleep on the job in February, when her train partially missed a station.

“She did admit that she dozed off prior to entering the station,” he said during a briefing today. “She did not awake until the train hit.”

He said the woman, who was cooperating with the investigation, often worked an erratic schedule, filling in for other Chicago Transit Authority employees.

image

Pic: AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, Brian Jackson

"Her hours would vary every day," he said.

Turpin said the NTSB is investigating the woman's training, scheduling and disciplinary history.

The CTA became aware of that (February incident) almost immediately and a supervisor admonished her and had a discussion with her.

More than 30 people were hurt during the crash, which occurred around 3 a.m., but none of the injuries were serious.

Turpin said the crash caused about $6 million worth of damage.

Meanwhile today, crews were cutting apart the lead car of the eight-car train that was damaged during the crash, sending sparks into the air at typically busy station that remains closed.

Read: Over 30 injured as Chicago train derails and travels up airport escalator>

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
24 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joe McAndrew
    Favourite Joe McAndrew
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:32 PM

    Thankfully nobody was killed.

    186
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jaymie
    Favourite Jaymie
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:44 PM

    He wouldn’t be long wakening up

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter O'Neill
    Favourite Peter O'Neill
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:43 PM

    Erratic schedule! Management are responsible on this one, expectation that a worker can slot into any shift any time and call it a discipline issue when the worker doesn’t perform. Thankfully no fatalities

    175
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chris Judge
    Favourite Chris Judge
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 5:07 PM

    This is in the US, where workers have basically zero rights and usually have to bend over backwards to anything their manager might ask of them because they have no job security and could be fired for anything. It’s sad and I feel bad for this woman – definitely managements fault.

    151
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Declan Noonan
    Favourite Declan Noonan
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 6:09 PM

    Chris, this worker has rights in the job she does. It’s a unionized job.

    9
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Petr Tarasov
    Favourite Petr Tarasov
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 11:09 PM

    Glad to hear that, Declan. I know you’re job in the USPS is unionised too. Every worker should be in a union.

    I noticed you called me ‘despicable’ and ‘clueless’ yesterday. Are personalised insults all you’ve got?

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Declan Noonan
    Favourite Declan Noonan
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 11:37 PM

    Petr, no not every job can be unionized.
    Yes I did call you those words.
    You throw your own insults out there as well.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Petr Tarasov
    Favourite Petr Tarasov
    Report
    Mar 27th 2014, 7:26 AM

    Why should your job be unionised (mail is an essential service) and not other jobs?

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Byrne
    Favourite Dave Byrne
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 5:05 PM

    Anyone who has ever done shift work going from days to nights with minimal rest in between,Will know what it is like going to work feeling absolutely wrecked.
    And yes it is a mgmt problem for not rostering staff accordingly,Sure a well known English transport company was doing the same.
    Only for them to be fined/ordered by the LRC to stop the practice,Fatigue can/has been known to be a factor in aircraft accidents/incident along with bus/ truck crashes.

    141
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute lorcmul
    Favourite lorcmul
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:40 PM

    That Escalated Quickly

    119
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Robert Wright
    Favourite Robert Wright
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:41 PM

    It’s evident that management are at fault here:
    1. They didn’t get rid of the driver after the first incident
    2. Her work schedule sounds hectic

    70
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Vocal Outrage
    Favourite Vocal Outrage
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:51 PM

    Number 1 is as a result of number 2. Perhaps management should have been fired after the first incident, not the driver who has to work an erratic schedule

    82
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute TheLoneHurler
    Favourite TheLoneHurler
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 5:25 PM

    Wimmin drivers, bah! :-P

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brianog2
    Favourite Brianog2
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 5:15 PM

    Thankfully she is not an employer of the HSE.. they specialize in erratic shifts

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Downes
    Favourite Jason Downes
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 7:16 PM

    She’s an extra board employee. Which means federal law mandates that after a shift if up to 10 hours she gets 8 hours undisturbed rest before she can be called for the next job. If she works 12 hours she gets 10 hours off. The extra board is brutal, some people love it, you can make a lot of money if you work it but you have no life. When I stated at Amtrak you had 1 guaranteed rest day and then it was down to whether employees on Regular jobs either called off or didn’t which decided if you got more time at home. The worse thing is it’s completely unreliable. You could be 5th on the list to get out and then 3 people call out and suddenly your second looking at a job five hours earlier than you were expecting. FRA have a lot of new rest rules but it doesn’t change the nature of the board it can very slow and easy but when it moves you can expect to work twice a day. The money is great but the toll it can take for me isn’t worth it.

    33
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute George Hackett
    Favourite George Hackett
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 5:18 PM

    Maybe she hit a sleeper.

    28
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paddy
    Favourite Paddy
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:45 PM

    $6m worth of damage my arse.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Memery
    Favourite Dave Memery
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:52 PM

    I doubt your arse is worth that much

    78
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Diarmuid
    Favourite Diarmuid
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:35 PM

    Hope she was escalated to her manager.

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Louise Ní Riain
    Favourite Louise Ní Riain
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:49 PM

    Say that woke her up in a dart, sounds a bit off the rails to me.

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Justin Gabriel
    Favourite Justin Gabriel
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 5:10 PM

    Ain’t nobody got time for that!! Mhmm

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Declan Carr
    Favourite Declan Carr
    Report
    Mar 26th 2014, 4:41 PM

    now that’s taking the sh1t to a whole new level

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Richard Burke
    Favourite Richard Burke
    Report
    Mar 27th 2014, 9:59 AM

    Good thing it was at night, resulting in low commotion.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Ward
    Favourite John Ward
    Report
    Mar 27th 2014, 10:57 AM

    I thought those trains had a “dead man’s handle” to prevent such accidents. Why has that not been mentioned?

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds