Chicago commuter train hits truck, markets nervous

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Chicago-bound commuter train struck a truck in the northwest suburb of Mount Prospect on Friday morning, killing the truck driver and sending some passengers to hospitals with minor injuries.

News of the accident caused a brief moment of volatility in U.S. financial markets on fears it was related to terrorism. An FBI spokesman in Chicago said it appeared to be an accident and the agency was not investigating at this time.

After the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 1, his followers vowed revenge and last Monday the U.S. Homeland Security Department and the FBI issued another warning about the possibility of attacks.

The only specific plot revealed by U.S. authorities was a plan allegedly conceived in February 2010 to attack the U.S. rail system by derailing trains on September 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of al Qaeda's attacks on New York and Washington.

In the Chicago suburb, train traffic on the northwest Union Pacific line was interrupted, and passengers were bused around the accident site, said Mike Gillis, spokesman for the Metra commuter rail service.

Two local hospitals said they treated a total of 11 passengers, none with life-threatening injuries.

Police said the dump truck went around closed crossing gates and its cab was sheared off by the train, scattering the truck's load of broken concrete and derailing the lead passenger car, though it did not tip over.

A fire scorched the outside of the train's second car, and passengers exited through windows and doors.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski and Andrew Stern; Editing by Jerry Norton)