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Meteorological Information
The temperature was about 22°F at the time of the accident and the wind was from the north at 11.5 mph. There was no precipitation. Visibility was reported at 9 miles, but it was about twilight and natural light was waning.
Survival Aspects
It was difficult to determine if some of the fatalities had been passengers or were pedestrians. The best information developed by investigators indicates that five fatalities were passengers, two others were probably passengers, and four fatalities probably were persons on the street. At least three passengers—two in the second car and one in the fourth car—ware ejected from the Lake-Dan Ryan train through the large windows. One of these two passengers in the second car was partially ejected from the car but was able to recover from the fall and return to the car. The fate of the other ejectee from Car No. 2 could not be determined. The ejectee from Car No. 4 survived. There Were no known ejections through the doors.
Personal injuries that were attributed to the collision were minor. Personal injuries received when some cars fell to the street were more serious and were caused by seats and seatbacks, stanchions, modesty panels, the sides of the cars, and other passengers.
Injury data were collected shortly after the accident for 189 passengers who were injured. This does not include injuries reported after the initial data were compiled. A summary of the injuries of the 189 passengers, according to the American Medical Association's Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) is:
| Severity of Injury | Number of Passengers | |
| 1. | Minor | 144 |
| 2. | Moderate | 19 |
| 3. | Severe (Not life-threatening) | 8 |
| 4. | Serious (Life-threatening, survival probable) | 1 |
| 5. | Critical (Survival uncertain) | 0 |
| 6. | Fatal | 11 |
| 7. | Insufficient Information | 6 |
| Total | 189 |
Passengers of the Ravenswood train walked through the train to the lead car and exited to the station platform at the State Street Station. Some passengers on the Lake-Dan Ryan train left the cars unassisted through end doors or windows from which the glass had fallen out. Others were assisted
