Chicago Man Receives Verdict Against Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) for Psychological Injury

On July 11, 2006, a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) subway train caught fire and derailed during the evening rush hour. After the Chicago Blue Line train derailed, passengers were forced to exit the subway train cars and make their way to the surface. Many CTA riders were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation and other injuries.

A verdict for one of the passengers was recently returned on the first of the cases stemming from this Chicago train accident to go to trial. The Chicago man claimed that he suffered from psychological injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as a result of the Chicago train derailment near Clark and Lake Streets.

At trial, the plaintiff testified that he thought he was going to die given the amount of flames, heat, and smoke. Currently the plaintiff still rides the blue line train to his job as a docket clerk for a Chicago law firm. The jury wasconvinced of the seriousness of the plaintiff’s psychological injuries and returned a verdict of $135,000 against the CTA.

According to court documents, it appears that the focus of the Cook County train accident trial was on damages only as a summary judgment was already entered against the CTA regarding negligence claims related to the 2006 incident.

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling Chicago train accident cases for over 30 years, serving areas in and around Cook County, including Wilmette, Arlington Heights, Bolingbrook, and Blue Island.