8-year-old struck by CTA train in Evanston

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) -- An 8-year-old boy was struck by a CTA Purple Line train Saturday afternoon just south of the Dempster Street station in north suburban Evanston, police said.

The boy sustained a head injury and was in critical condition Saturday evening at Presence Saint Francis Hospital.

The child was walking along the tracks with another boy at about 1 p.m. when the southbound train hit him. The second child was not injured, police said.

Both boys are wards of the state under the guardianship of the state Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), and residents of the Rice Child & Family Center, of Children's Home and Aid, in Evanston, according to Melissa Ludington, the organization's vice president of child welfare service.

The Rice facility, which is about a mile from the train tracks, works with children who have extreme behavior issues. The facility is not locked.

The boys were gone for an hour before the incident occurred, according to DCFS.

Police are investigating.