Three people sat down on Chicago train tracks to take a picture and ended up in a dangerous predicament while making their way to Lollapalooza music festival on August 5.
Two of the individuals were reportedly shocked once they made contact with the third rail at the Ridgeland Green Line stop in Oak Park, the New York Post reported Monday.
A video shows two men and one woman posing on the tracks when one of the men leans back and goes rigid.
Images show the trio sitting on the tracks with one person bent backward:
Lollapalooza concert-goers violently shocked by third rail while taking selfie on train tracks https://t.co/QeuOthcwJk pic.twitter.com/oiR8csSOjz
— New York Post (@nypost) August 15, 2023
Seconds later, the man grabs onto the woman, and her body also appears to go stiff.
“The third person on the tracks could be seen staring in apparent horror as his friends writhed stiff-limbed beside him for a few moments before springing into action and trying to pry them free,” the Post article said, adding he too appeared to be shocked, but others in the group rushed over to help their companions.
“The male went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to Loyola Medical Center in critical condition, the Oak Park Fire Department said,” the outlet stated.
The woman was apparently conscious when emergency crews got to the scene. However, she was also sent to the hospital for treatment.
WGN News reported on August 6 the man was listed in critical condition, and his long-term prognosis was unknown:
“Officials say the woman who attempted to help him is doing well, and it’s possible she was not shocked,” the outlet said, adding the two people are in their 20s.
On August 1, NBC Chicago described Lollapalooza as one of the biggest music festivals in the world, saying it would draw approximately 400,000 people:
“We try to encourage the Lollapalooza people to use the off-peak trains; that’s where we have the most capacity, and they do, just because the concert starts a little bit later, but there’s gonna be some extra crowding on all trains,” Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis said.