Man, woman and child killed when Metra train hits their car on Far South Side. ‘The worst thing I’ve seen.’

A man, woman and child were killed when a Rock Island Metra train slammed into their car Sunday afternoon on the Far South Side, officials said.

The inbound train hit the car at a crossing at 107th Street and Vincennes Avenue just after 5 p.m., Chicago fire officials said. The train pushed the car about a half mile before coming to a stop near 103rd Street.

The train’s front car partially derailed and the car caught fire, according to Metra.

The man, woman and child were in the car and were all pronounced dead, according to fire officials. They were believed to be a family, fire officials said.

The child was identified as 5-year-old Essence Ransberry by the Cook County medical examiner’s office and the woman was identified as 38-year-old Joneisha Ransberry.

The man was identified as Marques D. Williams, the medical examiner’s office said.

The train’s conductor, a 43-year-old man, was transported to Little Company of Mary Hospital in fair to good condition, according to fire officials.

The engineer suffered an injury to his leg. Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said at the scene.

Forty-one passengers were on board the train, but no one was riding in the front car. Three passengers reported minor injuries and two were taken to hospitals, Gillis said.

The passengers were taken to the 95th Street Red Line station so they could continue into the city, said Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile.

The train was heading from Joliet to 35th Street and, after the Blue Island stop, was “basically expressing” through the area at about 79 mph, Gillis said.

Gillis said Metra was in the early stages of its investigation but added that “there is no indication the gates were malfunctioning.”

Only the frame of the dark-colored car remained near the front of the train after it was dragged for blocks. Rocks from the tracks littered the intersection at 103rd.

“It’s heart-rending,” Gillis said. “It’s the worst thing I’ve seen. I’ve been doing this job for 12 years, this is the worst scene I’ve seen.”

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Matt Townsend, who was riding back to the city with his girlfriend after spending the day with his family in Joliet, was trying to process the “traumatic” event Sunday night.

Townsend, of Pilsen, recalled feeling a big “thud” before seeing dirt fly up in the air.

”It was hard to see out of the windows because there was so much dirt on both sides of the train,” Townsend told the Sun-Times in a phone interview Sunday night. “And I knew there was something wrong at that time.”

Townsend, who was in the third or fourth rail car, said people were in shock as they were escorted off the train.

”Everybody was anxious, tensions were running high, and we were wanting to get off faster than the line was allowing us to,” Townsend said. “The car was unrecognizable as a car, it was just a clumped up piece of metal... and I started seeing flames come from the car, and that was scary. But most importantly, I knew that people had died.”

Townsend, 47, said most train passengers were stuck in the area for about an hour since buses were stalled and couldn’t cross the tracks. He and his girlfriend ultimately walked to 95th Street before hopping on a bus to the Red Line.

”That was a horrible adventure,” said Townsend, noting it took five hours for them to get home.

Sandy Wilson was standing across the street at 103rd and said two men ran to the car to try to help the victims. She then saw crews work to remove the child and a woman from the vehicle.

Standing nearby, Wanda Durrell said she was heartbroken when she heard one of the victims was a child. “I have a 5-year-old granddaughter” Durrell said. “I just can’t imagine”

All inbound and outbound Metra Rock Island service has been stopped near 103rd.

The train left Joliet at 4:25 p.m. and was due downtown at 5:25 p.m., Reile said. Its last stop before the crash was at the Blue Island Vermont Street station. The train was expressing to the 35th Street station.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times