- Credibility:
EDGEWATER — A CTA crane fell off Red Line tracks Wednesday afternoon, shutting down North Side trains during afternoon rush hour and causing massive delays.
The crash occurred around 3 p.m., CTA spokesperson Tammy Chase said. The crane was being used for work just south of the Bryn Mawr station. Pictures from the Chicago Fire Department and nearby residents shared on Twitter show the yellow crane fell into a nearby alley, crushing a nearby car, downing power lines, causing a utility pole to nearly topple over and damaging some fencing on a nearby apartment building. The crane cab was inverted, fire officials said.
Purple Line Express trains were shut down throughout the afternoon, according to the CTA. Red Line trains were halted then were the Bryn Mawr station most of the evening. Trains resumed stopping at Bryn Mawr around 9 p.m.
Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) said on his Facebook page one person suffered a minor injury and was being treated.
Some residents were evacuated from their building on North Winthrop Avenue because of the fallen power lines, including Kevin Brown, who witnessed the accident from his back patio.
Brown said he was standing outside watching the crane when it began tipping, and when he started hearing construction workers yelling, he ran back inside his apartment before hearing a big crash.
The power went out inside, Brown said. Soon after, responding firefighters told him and other residents to leave the building because of the the live electrical wires in the alley.’
“I’m still pretty shaken up about the whole thing,” Brown said. “This should teach us to have an evacuation bag ready. I had no idea what to grab.”
Credit: Chicago Fire Department
Credit: Chicago Fire Department
Credit: Provided/Christopher Corbett
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