More
trouble at rail crossing
(As
reported in the Chicago Sun-Times, Tuesday,
February 12, 2002)
By Dan Rozek
Staff Reporter
Warning
gates lodged in the down position Monday at the same DuPage
County rail crossing where three people were severely injured
last year when their sport-utility vehicle was hit by a
train while warning devices were not working.
The
latest problem at the Army Trail Road crossing near Bloomingdale
came just three days after a Cook County jury awarded a
record $55.7 million in damages to the people hurt there
Jan. 9, 2001.
Attorneys for the west suburban family members said the
latest problem raises concerns about the way the Canadian
National/ Illinois Central Railroad operates.
"It
makes one wonder if there's a systemic problem with the
railroad," said Chicago attorney Timothy Cavanagh,
who represented Fidel and Francisca Velarde in their damage
suit.
Fidel,
73, and Francisca, 72, on Friday were awarded $21 million
in damages for permanent brain injuries they suffered when
their vehicle was hit by a 4,000-ton freight train.
Their
adult daughter, Lilia Apulello, 40, was awarded $34 million
in damages. Apulello, who was driving the Ford Explorer
hit by the train, also suffered permanent brain injuries,
her attorney, John Nisivaco, said.
The
three were hurt after a miscommunication between a dispatcher
and a train crew sent the freight train barreling through
the Army Trail Road crossing, even though lights and signals
there had been shut off for repairs.
On
Monday, the gates and warning lights came down, even though
no train was present, blocking the crossing for about 2-1/2
hours.
A
CN/IC spokesman said maintenance done Friday on the gates
apparently caused electrical problems that triggered the
warning devices. But spokesman Jack Burke said there was
no connection between the 2001 crash and the signal problems
Monday. The gates, in fact, worked as they were supposed
to by blocking the crossing once the power problem occurred.
"It
put them in the down position--which it is designed to do,"
Burke said. Railroad officials likely will appeal Friday's
jury verdict, he said.
Illinois
has 10,982 road-rail crossings--including 8,327 at-grade
crossings where cars and other vehicles drive over train
tracks.
Only
Texas has more rail crossings, Illinois regulators say.
