A train operator had alcohol in his system when a CTA Yellow Line train crashed into a slow-moving snow plow last year and injured at least 38 people, according to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
About an hour after the crash, a hospital test showed the 47-year-old operator of the train had a blood-alcohol level of 0.06, according to the report.
The testing was an “unconfirmed clinical test,” and the results report included a disclaimer stating that the results were not intended for legal use.
Additional toxicology testing done on a hospital blood sample of the operator by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory revealed his blood alcohol levels to be at 0.048, according to the report.
Blood-alcohol levels of 0.05 — which was roughly what was found in the operator’s system — have been found to impair judgment, functions and alertness, the report states. A simulation study of rail engineers showed that blood alcohol levels of 0.05-0.10 increased operational speed of the trains being driven and increased the risk of derailment and decreased rail safety.
In the November 2023 crash, 23 people were taken to hospitals, and 15 refused care, officials said. The train operator, who was near the point of collision, was among the most critically injured.