WASHINGTON — A Chicago Transit Authority customer service assistant fell onto the electrified third rail when attempting to cross the right-of-way at the L’s La Salle/Van Buren station and died by electrocution, the National Transportation Safety Board says in its report on the July 16, 2022, accident.
The final accident report was issued Thursday.
The accident occurred about 1:52 a.m. The reason the CTA employee was attempting to cross the track remains unknown; he did not contact the rail controller for permission to enter the right-of-way as is required, and nothing on the station log indicates a reason. After falling onto the right-of-way, the worker remained motionless for three minutes, according to video cameras, before being struck by a train.
As a result of the accident, the CTA now requires its customer service assistants to take rail safety refresher courses every two years to maintain their job classification.
Life around a third rail is always deadly. Like the homeless man who decided to relieve himself off a freeway bridge and unto the CTA tracks below one night back in the 1970’s. After the lightning bolt shot up, it knocked him backwards across the street and killed him.