Amtrak sued after man dies on train

A man's estate is suing Amtrak after he suffered cardiac arrest and died following a fall while onboard a train.

Ruby Trevino, as special administrator of the Estate of John Torres, filed a lawsuit Nov. 15 in the Cook County Circuit Court against National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak.

According to the complaint, John Torres was a passenger aboard an Amtrak train on Jan. 2, 2012 that originated in Chicago and traveled from Bloomington-Normal to Taylor, Texas.

Trevino claims the defendant breached its duty of care to its passengers by failing to provide safe and adequate stairs, failing to properly assess and assist Torres after his fall, failing to timely provide use of a defibrillator and refusing to stop the train for transport by EMT's until arrival in Lincoln.

The estate is seeking damages in excess of $50,000. It is being represented in the case by attorneys from Costello, McMahon, Burke & Murphy Ltd.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2013L013092.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Cook County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it represents only one side of the story.