Metra
sued over derailment
(As reported in The Daily Southtown
10/22/03)
By Guy Tridgell, Staff Writer
A
Plainfield family is suing Metra for injuries caused during
the Rock
Island District Line derailment Oct. 12.
Steven
and Kathryn Kuk were traveling to Joliet with their 13-year-old
daughter Megan when the train hopped the tracks 10 minutes
after
departing Chicago's LaSalle Street Station. Steven Kuk had
finished
running the Chicago Marathon earlier in the day.
The
family members suffered neck and back injuries, and Megan
still is
being treated for an eye injury, attorney Tim Cavanagh.
The
lawsuit asks for more than $150,000 in damages.
The
National Transportation Safety Board investigation into
the
derailment is expected to take several months, though early
evidence
suggests a Metra engineer might have missed signals warning
him to slow
down. The wreck injured 45 passengers.
At
least two other lawsuits have been filed in connection with
the
mishap.
