On July 16, 2022, about 1:52 a.m. local time, southbound Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Brown Line passenger train 3285 (train 3285) struck a CTA customer service assistant (CSA) at the La Salle/Van Buren station in Chicago, Illinois. Review of platform surveillance video data by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) showed that the CSA descended the stairs from the west end of the inner loop platform to access the tracks and fell onto the outer loop high voltage rail. The CSA laid motionless on the track for about 3 minutes, whereupon he was struck by train 3285.
We determined that the probable cause of the July 16, 2022, CSA fatality was electrocution due to contact with the third rail when the CSA fell attempting to cross the right-of-way for unknown reasons.
