CTA employee sues manufacturers of rail car, equipment over work injury

A Chicago Transit Authority employee is suing four companies, claiming she was injured by a malfunction of equipment used to couple rail cars.

Christine DeHaan filed a lawsuit May 27 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Bombardier Inc., Bombardier Transit Corp., Hubbell Power Systems Inc. and Ohio Brass Co., alleging negligence.

According to the complaint, DeHaan was attempting to couple two rail cars manufactured by Bombardier as a yard leader for the CTA on May 28, 2012, when the mechanism she was using, designed by Hubbell and Ohio Brass, recoiled, throwing her toward the cars.

DeHaan is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. She is being represented in the case by attorney Timothy P. Rhatigan of Rhatigan Law Offices LLC.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L005610.

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