Chicago Train Derails Sending Dozens to the Hospital

Chrissie Cole

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An Amtrak train traveling to Chicago from Grand Rapids derailed and plowed into the back of a freight train, Friday, injuring dozens of people.

Eight of the 187 passengers were seriously injured in the train accident, according to authorities.

Three people in the engine of the Amtrak train, apparently all Amtrak employees, were among the most seriously injured, said Larry Langford, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. Four people were trapped, and at least one had to be freed with cutting equipment.

The train accident occurred at 11:30 a.m. and it was not immediately known what caused the accident. The front of the Amtrak train came to rest on top of the freight train, rising above the track, its nose crushed in.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.