1 Dead in CTA Yellow Line Crash in Skokie

SKOKIE, IL - A woman who was driving the car that collided with a CTA Yellow Line train in Skokie Monday morning has died.

NBC-Chicago reports the woman was taken to Skokie Hospital around 10:30 a.m. and was pronounced dead shortly after. She has been identified as Blandina Hermez, 62, Skokie.

Hermez was a passenger in the vehicle, according to police reports. The driver, a 45-year-old Skokie woman, was taken to Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston where she remains in critical condition. 

Five passengers on the train involved in the crash, were hospitalized with various injuries. All their injuries are non life-threatening. 

A vehicle drove through a grade crossing in the 7700 block of East Prairie Road and collided with a southbound CTA Yellow Line train, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Traffic on East Prairie Road between Howard and Oakton streets in Skokie remains closed as of early Monday afternoon.

The crash has suspended the Yellow Line service indefinitely and the area will remain closed to traffic as the investigation into the crash unfolds.

The CTA suggests commuters use the No. 97 Skokie service as an alternative. Shuttle buses are also available.