One For The Road: The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster
By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on May 25, 2012 9:40PM
On this date in 1950, 33 people were killed and 50 were injured when a streetcar hit a gasoline truck at 63rd and State streets, one of the worst mass transit disasters in Chicago history. WBBM spoke with Craig Cleve, who penned the new book The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster. He said, “The streetcar went to its switch to avoid a flooded underpass, and apparently, the motorman of the streetcar was not paying attention, and went through that switch at total velocity, and hit the side of that truck with dire consequences.”
The fire spread to five buildings and several cars nearby. To make matters worse, the rear doors on the streetcar opened inward, and passengers became trapped when they panicked and started pushing them. Chicago's streetcar system ended in 1958.