What Caused Clarendon Hills Train Crash: Feds

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – A federal agency found the 2022 Clarendon Hills train crash was caused by a box truck driver's failure to manage the vehicle's power.

On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board released the conclusions of its investigation into the May 11, 2022, crash.

About 8:30 a.m., a Metra train collided with the box truck at the Prospect Avenue crossing in Clarendon Hills.

A train passenger, 72-year-old Christina Lopez of Downers Grove, was killed after being ejected from the train. She was headed to La Grange to see her sister.

The truck's driver told investigators that his vehicle stalled on the tracks.

According to the federal agency, the improperly licensed box truck driver's failure to manage the power caused the truck to stall on the railroad.

The driver, who worked for Del's Movers, then was unable to restart the engine, causing the truck to block the path of the commuter train, the report said.

Contributing to the collision, the agency said, was the truck company's inadequate safety policies.

Through the investigation, the agency said it learned of a deficiency in the inspection procedures of trucks by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

As a result, the alliance updated its procedures to require confirmation that a driver's commercial license matches the gross vehicle weight rating of the vehicle being driven, the federal agency said

The state police intend to follow the alliance's updated guidance, according to the report.

"These changes improve safety for road users in the state of Illinois and across North America," the federal agency said.

The driver told investigators that the crossing was entirely normal.

"I went over the bump and stuff," he said. "It just died here by itself."

In June, Patch reported on the investigation's preliminary findings.