CTA Accidents

[BusHunter]

Ouch. Looks like 2639 got scorched pretty bad. Do you know anything about the accident?

Looks like that's the second time it got damaged, based on this photo.

#2639 was the car that caught fire in the location of Rosemont yard that was on the news a couple years ago. The fire was contained to the underbody, but #2639 was a write off. I remember seeing the story, the train was in service and there was an evacuation with hordes of people waiting for bus shuttles on I-190 on the median shoulder outside the Rosemont shop. Kind of humorous as that's not where you would expect a bus stop. I wonder how they boarded as they can't board on the left side!!

[Busjack]

#2639 was the car that caught fire in the location of Rosemont yard that was on the news a couple years ago. The fire was contained to the underbody, but #2639 was a write off. I remember seeing the story, the train was in service and there was an evacuation with hordes of people waiting for bus shuttles on I-190 on the median shoulder outside the Rosemont shop. Kind of humorous as that's not where you would expect a bus stop. I wonder how they boarded as they can't board on the left side!!

Cops probably closed off a couple of lanes of expressway,then let the buses in.

More interesting question is how the passengers got over the concrete dividers (Jersey barriers), but maybe the responders moved them out of the way.

[ajm522]

Bus  crash just now at Lake and Michigan. Bus #4167. It was an artic From NP looks pretty damaged. Multiple injuries 

[strictures]

Bus  crash just now at Lake and Michigan. Bus #4167. It was an artic From NP looks pretty damaged. Multiple injuries 

​I hope the passengers & driver are OK, but I certainly won't miss one of that series of buses with those wretched seats.

[rvwnsd]

The Chicago Tribune reports one killed and eight injured. 

[jajuan]

From the footage shown on ABC7 Eyewitness News, the bus was operating as a #148 and the latest report they gave in the 5 PM broadcast was that the operator ran the light and so far got citations for that.

[briman94]

From the footage shown on ABC7 Eyewitness News, the bus was operating as a #148 and the latest report they gave in the 5 PM broadcast was that the operator ran the light and so far got citations for that.

​The news video I saw showed the bus going through a green and a car running the perpendicular red, but the animation was a bit hard to follow. Was it the other way around?

[jajuan]

​The news video I saw showed the bus going through a green and a car running the perpendicular red, but the animation was a bit hard to follow. Was it the other way around?

​It's possible I might have heard it in reverse. But the bus operator still got ticketed either way. Plus from what was mentioned in the other discussion on this accident about the operator falling from the seat, it still doesn't look good for the operator given that in any CTA New Flyer, both standard length and artic, there is a shield there that had to have been left open while the bus was in motion which is violation of CTA policy when it comes to buses that have shields. 

[Busjack]

​The news video I saw showed the bus going through a green and a car running the perpendicular red, but the animation was a bit hard to follow. Was it the other way around?

​The story yesterday seems the opposite of the story today, which is today that the bus driver ran the red (although after first stopping).

Anyway, ABC7 just said what we should have known--the bus has a forward facing camera and the police will see exactly what happened.

[BusHunter]

They showed them putting a sheet over the dead lady at the rear of the bus. Gruesome. I'm glad I didn't see that especially when you figure she was dragged the length of the bus. 

[Busjack]

They showed them putting a sheet over the dead lady at the rear of the bus. Gruesome. I'm glad I didn't see that especially when you figure she was dragged the length of the bus. 

​That would seem to negate the reports (1) nobody was dead at about 7 pm Tuesday and (2) she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

[BusHunter]

​That would seem to negate the reports (1) nobody was dead at about 7 pm Tuesday and (2) she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

​Seemed they were trying to block the news cameras from seeing her out of respect for her body. But she was probably dead at the scene. Not too many people are going to live after 3 axles go over you.

[trainman8119]

I am not sure of the timing, but was this operator hired during the  Red Line shutdown mass hiring ??

[Busjack]

I am not sure of the timing, but was this operator hired during the  Red Line shutdown mass hiring ??

​The ABC7 story said 9 months, which would seem to be after that (Oct. 2013). Apparently attrition is high enough that those hired then were absorbed and more were hired after that.

[trainman8119]

​The ABC7 story said 9 months, which would seem to be after that (Oct. 2013). Apparently attrition is high enough that those hired then were absorbed and more were hired after that.

​Thanks, Jack. I thought maybe we might have had an issue with training, and possible forcing people who should not be in the position through. I wasn't totally sure of the timeline, but thank you for clearing that up.

[Busjack]

​Thanks, Jack. I thought maybe we might have had an issue with training, and possible forcing people who should not be in the position through. I wasn't totally sure of the timeline, but thank you for clearing that up.

​Only training issue would be if the en masse training had any effect on its quality, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of that. My question was more like what a 47 year old was doing with his CDL before applying to CTA, but if this was a medical blackout, the only possible solution would be the autonomous vehicle (truck in Las Vegas) discussed earlier, which, while possibly able to detect a red light and a curb, probably couldn't detect all the pedestrians crossing the street downtown without being immobilized.

[andrethebusman]

​It's possible I might have heard it in reverse. But the bus operator still got ticketed either way. Plus from what was mentioned in the other discussion on this accident about the operator falling from the seat, it still doesn't look good for the operator given that in any CTA New Flyer, both standard length and artic, there is a shield there that had to have been left open while the bus was in motion which is violation of CTA policy when it comes to buses that have shields.

​More importantly, no seat belt. It would appear from everything that has come out so far, that this was a pullout that had come downtown late and had apparently been switched at Wacker via Wacker-Wabash-Lake which is why it was empty. It would also appear that the driver mixed up the pedals. You would think this would not happen, but how many times it does, with cars into buildings,itting pedestrians, etc and driver says "I was pushing on brakes as hard as I could and it kept going faster".

[Busjack]

​More importantly, no seat belt. It would appear from everything that has come out so far, that this was a pullout that had come downtown late and had apparently been switched at Wacker via Wacker-Wabash-Lake which is why it was empty. It would also appear that the driver mixed up the pedals. You would think this would not happen, but how many times it does, with cars into buildings,itting pedestrians, etc and driver says "I was pushing on brakes as hard as I could and it kept going faster".

​Only thing indicated in the news reports is that it was empty because it was going into service with the first stop at Michigan-Wacker. Schedule, though, only reflects trips starting at State-Harrison, and some news footage had the bus flashing the 148 Foster-Marine sign, I take it from your "switched" that somehow it was diverted from the regular schedule.

[BusHunter]

Was the bus empty? Someone reported seeing a man next to the operator talking to them and the operator kept raising and lowering the kneeling. Could have been the operator was standing, unbuckled the seatbeat to see the Clever Devices or hit a key on it and when he went to sit back down hit the wrong pedal and panicked. I've hit the wrong pedal as everyone who drives has, but have caught myself to within 3 feet of the mishap. Why it took this guy a complete intersection sounds like the guy panicked. Now if that was the case would the fault fall on CTA, because they are not supposed to have people standing to check Clever Devices while the bus is in gear, but maybe this is in the training handbook. Also one has to wonder did the guy lower the kneeling to hold the bus should he release the brakes. But why not just shift out of gear?

Edited June 5, 2015 by BusHunter

[Busjack]

...Now if that was the case would the fault fall on CTA, because they are not supposed to have people standing to check Clever Devices while the bus is in gear, but maybe this is in the training handbook. ,,,

​It is the fault of the CTA because it is responsible for the negligence of any of its employees in the scope of their duties, and the woman walking or sitting on the plaza did nothing that caused her injuries.

Now, whether there is something in CTA's operating methods that was a proximate cause of this accident  is something plaintiff's lawyers are going to investigate. However, the Clever Devices angle jives with what Andre said about being switched and what I said about the bus flashing the correct sign.

[BusHunter]

​It is the fault of the CTA because it is responsible for the negligence of any of its employees in the scope of their duties, and the woman walking or sitting on the plaza did nothing that caused her injuries.

Now, whether there is something in CTA's operating methods that was a proximate cause of this accident  is something plaintiff's lawyers are going to investigate. However, the Clever Devices angle jives with what Andre said about being switched and what I said about the bus flashing the correct sign.

​Well those signs display if you're late, on time or whatever. Being that the run was starting out it would probably be a good place to check it out. The operator doesn't have a terminal to do this cause he's mid route. Let me remind you those signs are the older type clever devices way up top which you have to stand to read, although I have seen some new ones on those. The newer ones are more interactive and sometimes require a response. In a way those are distracting to one's driving ability. The operators might as well be on a cell phone. I think this is one reason they are being moved down, less chance of a distracting accident, but still it distracts you.

Now if the signs change based on direction or gps point this sign would be confused going around the block. Maybe a few keys would have to be pressed on the display to correct this. Andre's point is that it was correct at the time of the accident but what about before it started? The standing man the eyewitness saw makes no sense if there were no passengers but to an untrained eye it could have been the operator. Plus why would someone fall out of a seat unless they were never in it. But another angle could be he passed out the bus just went across the street until it stopped, he fell out of the chair because he was unconscious. He was found unconscious at the accident scene. Later it was reported he had minor injuries when the only way you would get unconscious would be by a blow to the head. So it could have been a medical emergency. But even so a seat belt should have prevented an unconscious man from leaving his seat.

[Busjack]

...

Now if the signs change based on direction or gps point this sign would be confused going around the block. ...

​Andre's point about the gps controlling the signs was that if a bus does not pass through the normal terminal, the correct reading is not put on the sign, unless there is something en route that resets the reading. If we believe the timetable, the terminal was State-Harrison, but since the bus was going into service at Michigan-Wacker, it didn't pass through there, if we buy Andre's hypothetical itinerary that the bus was diverted from Michigan southbound via Wacker, State, and Lake. However, the news reports had the bus on the Plaza with a 148 Clarendon/Mich Exp/Foster-Marine reading. So, something changed the reading to the correct destination before impact. I don't claim to have enough information about how the Clever Device did that.

[strictures]

​Well those signs display if you're late, on time or whatever. Being that the run was starting out it would probably be a good place to check it out. The operator doesn't have a terminal to do this cause he's mid route. Let me remind you those signs are the older type clever devices way up top which you have to stand to read, although I have seen some new ones on those. The newer ones are more interactive and sometimes require a response. In a way those are distracting to one's driving ability. The operators might as well be on a cell phone. I think this is one reason they are being moved down, less chance of a distracting accident, but still it distracts you.

 

​I thought the displays were being moved so the the passengers couldn't see how late the bus is.

[andrethebusman]

​Andre's point about the gps controlling the signs was that if a bus does not pass through the normal terminal, the correct reading is not put on the sign, unless there is something en route that resets the reading. If we believe the timetable, the terminal was State-Harrison, but since the bus was going into service at Michigan-Wacker, it didn't pass through there, if we buy Andre's hypothetical itinerary that the bus was diverted from Michigan southbound via Wacker, State, and Lake. However, the news reports had the bus on the Plaza with a 148 Clarendon/Mich Exp/Foster-Marine reading. So, something changed the reading to the correct destination before impact. I don't claim to have enough information about how the Clever Device did that.

​Clever Device is a funny thing. It will change a sign as soon as the gps perceives the bus is on route. In this case, it would have put up the sign pretty much as soon as he turned onto Lake St. Now as far as why he might have been standing, here is my take: In order to put up anything but the "normal" reading, you have to force the Clever Device into "manual" mode, which would have been necessary to put up a Not In Service reading. Now once you get to where you are going back to your normal route, you either log back on normally or change signs in manual mode, which is frowned on as you are then not on BusTracker. So he might have been logging back on. As far as kneeling, I have a problem with this as doors have to be open to kneel the bus. Personally I can reach the top Clever Device while sitting no problem, but a shorter person might need to stand up. And yes, the bus might have started rolling and driver didn't even notice.

[fg.mark]

We seem to have the itinerary of this bus completely wrong.  This route is rush hour, peak direction, only.  There would be only two ways for this bus arriving at its terminal: 1) either as "NOT IN SERVICE" or "DOWNTOWN" on Lake Shore Drive as an express or, 2) as an interline with a route that goes into downtown and terminates near Harrison and State (such as 151 Sheridan | Union Station).  If this bus in fact were to be short-turned, it would have to be done on Lake Shore Drive, which would require the operator to exit at about Randolph, but then there would be the question as to why the operator didn't just turn onto Michigan from Randolph.  The only other possibility would be that this bus arrived at the terminal very late and was told to go as "NOT IN SERVICE" to Michigan and Lake.  This would happen if this bus and its follower were the last two buses on the route for that day since the last northbound trip on 148 leaves State and Harrison at 6:30 pm.