Tina Sfondeles and Michael Lansu
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — A Chicago Police officer chasing a suspect drove around closed gates at the Kedzie Brown Line CTA station Friday, crashing into a train and leaving her unmarked police car a snarl of twisted metal.
But miraculously, the officer survived without life-threatening injuries.
The crash left rush hour riders scrambling to find another way home and affected service until about 7:45 p.m.
Police say the officer was following her partner in pursuit of a suspect just before 4 p.m. when she drove around the closed gate, believing the tracks were clear. But she was wrong. An inbound train had cleared, but an outbound train was close behind.
The velocity of the impact left the police car totaled, partially wrapped between two train cars with a portion of it leaning on the Kedzie station house. Onlookers stared at what was left of the squad for hours as crews worked to dislodge it from the train.
But despite the wreckage, the officer was able to free herself from the vehicle. Paramedics took her to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where she was being treated for non life-threatening injuries. The CTA train operator was also hospitalized. The veteran employee was shaken and complained of chest pains. By late Friday, his condition had improved.
None of the 30 to 40 passengers aboard the train was injured, and riders were able to get on bus shuttles to get to other stations. The CTA shut off power in both directions between the Kimball and Western station during the long cleanup effort.
Nearby residents said they’ve seen similar accidents before. Mike Lazar, owner of the Caldian Hair Salon across from the site said he’s seen at least a dozen crashes from drivers trying to go through the gate.
Before gates and flashing lights were added to the Kedzie station during a 2006 renovation, stop signs warned train operators to stop just before approaching the station. But the CTA removed those signs with the addition of the gates.
“We may want to relook at that stop light in light of all the accidents and maybe consider putting that stop sign back in and letting the trains come to a stop,” said Robert Kelly, chief of the CTA rail workers union. “I can’t second guess but I think it could have possibly made a difference because if a train came to a complete stop then there would be a better than average chance it would only be going 5 or 6 mph if it had been able to stop.”
Instead, the train was traveling between 25 to 30 mph when it made contact with the police car. Kelly called it “an unfortunate accident,” but warned of the importance of not running gates.
“Regardless of who it is, including police officers, they’re not supposed to go around lower gates,” Kelly said. “We don’t know they’re there, we don’t know that they’re coming through.”
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