Woman Ejected From Train In Clarendon Hills: NTSB

CLARENDON HILLS, IL — The Metra passenger who died in Wednesday's train crash in Clarendon Hills was ejected through a window, federal investigators said Thursday.

Christina Lopez, 72, of Downers Grove, was identified as the victim.

The train hit a box truck that was on the tracks.

"The truck could have moved. It didn't," Bruce Landsberg, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a news conference at Village Hall.

He said the NTSB would investigate why the truck did not move off the tracks.

After the crash, the back end of the truck hit the right side of the train with "tremendous force," Landsberg said. "That force propelled the victim through the window. We think she may have been sitting on the right side of the train."

The truck burst into flames in the crash, which was likely because the diesel tanks had been punctured, Landsberg said.

In an earlier news conference, the lawyer for Lopez's family suggested a nearby construction project made the crossing "an accident waiting to happen."

Asked about whether the construction played a role, Landsberg said cars appeared to be moving back and forth across the tracks. But he said his agency would look at the construction in its inquiry.

He said three people were inside the truck just before the crash happened. They apparently got out in time.

"The police have had considerable discussions with them," Landsberg said. "They have been reasonably cooperative."

The speed limit for trains in the area in question is 70 mph. Investigators are "reasonably confident" the train wasn't speeding, Landsberg said. But he said the train's recorder would determine the speed.

Landsberg said his agency would produce a preliminary report in a couple of weeks. The final report would be finished in 12 to 18 months, he said.