Family Asks For Safety Review After CTA Worker Is Electrocuted On The Job
(CBS) -- A 37-year-old CTA worker died on the city's Northwest Side overnight when she fell onto the Blue Line tracks and was electrocuted by the third rail.
CTA spokesman Brian Steele says the employee, identified as Pearl Hendrix of Markham, was electrocuted when she stumbled and fell while working on the Blue Line right-of-way near the Addison station. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m.
The third rail contains the 600 volts of direct current that is used to propel L trains. Other personnel at the scene cut power almost immediately, but it was too late to save her.
"From what we gather she was supposed to have been on the ramp, and the cameras seen her trip and she fell off onto the third rail," Hendrix's brother-in-law, Terrance Wilson, told CBS 2.
Hendrix was working as a flagger, signaling oncoming trains of nearby track work. Her family says she was proud of the recent promotion.
"She was very happy and very enthused about her new job and going to school," her father, Vernon Hendrix, said.
While CTA officials continue to investigate what led to her tragic death, the family is asking for a way to prevent this from happening again.
"That can be anybody -- a passenger, anyone," Wilson said.
The CTA offered its condolences.
"Safety is the No. 1 priority for CTA. All CTA employees undergo comprehensive training with a significant focus on safety--including customized training for all rail employees," the agency said in a statement.
