Everyones Fault But Your Own I Guess!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

Ok so I want to make sure that I get this straight, Your sister gets hit by a train because she felt that her phone was worth more than her life but you are blaming the people around who had to witness her stupidity?

Yep that is exactly what the sister of a Chicago woman ‘Felon Smith’ is saying after she witnessed the video that you are going to see below!

‘There was just no love on the platform’: Sister of woman killed by CTA train questions actions of bystanders, security guard

By MARY WISNIEWSKI , JOE MAHR  and GREGORY PRATT| CHICAGO TRIBUNE |JUL 03, 2019 | 6:45 AM  Default Mono Sans Mono Serif Sans Serif Comic Fancy Small CapsDefault Small Medium Large X-Large XX-LargeDefault Outline Dark Outline Light Outline Dark Bold Outline Light Bold Shadow Dark Shadow Light Shadow Dark Bold Shadow Light BoldDefault Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%Default Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%A video shows a woman on the train tracks and a security guard with a dog nearby just before she is struck and killed by a CTA Red Line train at the 69th Street station on June 27, 2019, in Chicago.

The CTA said Tuesday that a woman who was struck and killed by an “L” train last week was told by a security guard on the platform to get off the tracks.

However, it’s unclear whether she heard him at a noisy Red Line station that sits on the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway.

The rail agency’s statement follows the posting of a video on social media Monday that shows the private CTA security guard was nearby on the platform when a woman jumped down on the tracks to retrieve a cellphone, and moments later was killed by an oncoming train.

The video — which has no sound — shows that the woman was on the tracks for 17 seconds before the train hit her. The video also shows that the guard made no physical effort to pull the woman up onto the platform. According to the CTA, the guard said he told the woman to get off the tracks.

Authorities have said Felon N. Smith, 37, of the 6700 block of South Maplewood Avenue, was pronounced dead shortly after the incident at the 69th Street platform about 12:40 p.m. Thursday.[Most read] Column: Epstein sex trafficking charges could shine light on Clinton, Trump. Time for bipartisan revulsion. »

The CTA said in a statement that it has determined that the video footage was “inappropriately recorded” from the CTA’s video systems by what appears to be a cellphone camera.

“Any individual involved in this misappropriation of video will be discharged and CTA will pursue all applicable criminal penalties,” CTA spokesman Brian Steele said in a statement.

“Regarding the incident itself, CTA is also undertaking a thorough review,” Steele said. The review includes interviews with employees and witnesses, as well as examination of other video, he said.

“At this point, we don’t have all the answers to all the questions we have,” Steele told the Tribune on Tuesday evening.

The video shows the woman standing on the northbound side of the platform before she climbs down to pick up an object that authorities later identified as a dropped cellphone. As the woman climbs down, a security officer with a dog emerges from behind another part of the platform, then slowly begins to walk toward the woman in the six seconds it takes her to climb down to the tracks.[Most read] Work stopped at ‘Windy City Rehab’ properties as HGTV stars face discipline by city »

The guard continues to walk slowly toward the woman as another man walks toward the woman faster from the opposite direction and motions toward an oncoming train in the distance. The woman begins to move briskly up the tracks and past the guard as he stands on the platform with the dog.

“As he got closer to the individual, they had a very brief exchange — about two seconds. The individual then began running away from the guard. It is unclear whether this individual was attempting to reach stairs at the end of the platform,” Steele said in a statement issued Tuesday.

The video shows the woman heading in the direction of the train, moving toward a point where the platform ends, when she was struck.

Smith’s sister, Brandy Martin, told the Tribune that Smith had been returning from downtown carrying food for herself and her three children when she received a call that she’d passed training for a job as an insurance broker.

So Smith decided to reverse course, got off the southbound train and, while waiting for the northbound train, was speaking with her children on the phone when it dropped.[Most read] Officials confirm alligator-like animal living in Humboldt Park Lagoon, drawing curiosity seekers »

After the death, Martin said, videos and photos began circulating on social media of the accident, and Martin said she began to question what little she said seemed to be done by anyone on the platform, including the guard.

“There was just no love on the platform,” Martin said, adding the family felt further anguish from the videos being spread around social media.

The video shows the guard standing as the train hit the woman, then turning his back and moving with his dog away from the train as others on the platform run away, covering their heads or faces.

Steele said it’s unclear if the guard heard the train approaching and noted it can take 15 to 20 seconds for CTA to turn off the power to tracks after being notified of a person on them.

“The immediacy of this situation was a factor,” he said in the statement. “There was approximately 15 seconds between the time the guard first engaged the individual and the contact with the train.”[Most read] Chicago Fire reach deal with Bridgeview to leave SeatGeek Stadium for $65.5 million »

Steele said the guard did promptly notify CTA of the incident after the train struck the woman, as required.

Steele confirmed that the guard in the video was employed by AGB Investigative Services, a Chicago-based security firm. The firm referred calls to the CTA.

Steele said the guard is now on medical leave.

Former police and security officers familiar with mass transit safety told the Tribune that, while not common, people do sometimes jump onto the tracks for reasons ranging from intoxication to suicide, or to retrieve a dropped item.

Marc Buslik, a retired Chicago police district commander, said he couldn’t comment on the specific incident but said, in general, officers must be careful not to endanger themselves or others by jumping on the tracks themselves — which have an electrified third rail — or falling onto the tracks when trying to pull someone up as a train approaches.[Most read] Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts’ property tax appeal under investigation after Tribune finds assessment problem »

“The average police officer is going to make a quick assessment. What can I do here in 15 seconds?” said Buslik, who teaches criminal justice at University of Illinois at Chicago.

Safety personnel can alert dispatchers, who could ask that electricity be cut to the tracks and oncoming trains be stopped, the former officers said. In cases with little time where an oncoming train is close to the station, officers can run to the end of platforms and wave their arms or a flashlight from side to side — a common signal for train drivers to slow down for danger ahead.

The CTA’s previous canine security company, Action K-9 Security Inc., sued the CTA in May after losing the contract to AGB. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that AGB provided insufficient training for guards and canines and lacked the necessary licensure and certifications. The suit said the contract should have gone to Action K-9, which served the CTA for six years.

Action K-9′s contract with the CTA expired May 28, according to the lawsuit. Action K-9′s attorney, James Rohlfing, told the Tribune that AGB had submitted a lower bid.

“It’s not the same as a couple of watchmen at a commercial facility in the middle of the night,” Rohlfing said. “There’s a lot of public safety issues, and handling the canines is very delicate work that requires certain training.”[Most read] Lightfoot pauses water meter installations after city finds spikes of brain-damaging lead in homes »

The CTA’s Steele responded that the agency has records showing the new firm has the proper licensing and training, and it noted the old firm was unable to convince a judge to immediately block the deal.

Steele also said AGB is an experienced company that’s held contracts with various public agencies and private firms in multiple states.