One Metra Worker Dead, Another Injured After Explosion
CHICAGO (CBS)-- One worker died and another was injured after an explosion around noon Saturday at a Metra station.
The incident occurred in the Old Irving Park neighborhood. The Chicago Fire Department said two men were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
One of the men, a 46-year-old Metra worker, with 17 years of experience, was then pronounced dead. The other worker was stabilized.
Metra said 17 employees were following work from last weekend and were out doing routine follow up maintenance at the time of the incident.
The jobs involved cutting bolts off the tracks and then welding areas, which is described as routine maintenance.
Neighbors said they heard a large explosion. The cause of the explosion has not been reported.
Bruce Marcheschi, Metra's incoming chief operations officer, said Metra remains committed to safety.
"We're doing a deep dive into the root cause of what exactly took place," he said.
Metra said the last fatality took place in July of 2013. The Federal Rail Road Administration will be looking into safety work practices.
