Chicago chef recovering after attack at Blue Line stop

CHICAGO — A local chef who was brutally attacked while waiting for the blue line train has a ways to go before he’s fully healed but it making progress every day.

Jose Duran was waiting for the train at Division Street when he was attacked. On Friday, he said he still has weeks to go before making a full recovery and getting back to work but said he is grateful for the daily steps forward.

Duran, 28, said while his face is still swollen and bruised, he has a lot to be thankful for.

“Friends, family, everybody has been very supportive. The service industry, they’ve shown a lot of love as well,” Duran said.

Around 9 p.m. on Nov. 29, he was leaving his job as a chef at Schwa on the Northwest Side of Chicago.

Per his normal routine, he walks from the restaurant to the blue line at Milwaukee and Division.

“I felt the push on my backpack and then I was on the train tracks,” Duran said.

Unable to pick himself up off the tracks and with a train just a minute or two away, Good Samaritans jumped down to help.

“The doctors are saying that things look pretty good,” he said.

While he is recovering, he says he’ll probably be out of work for another six weeks. To help the chef with expenses, one of his best friends started a GoFundMe page hoping to raise $100,000.

So far, the fundraiser has generated more than $41,000.

Not long after the attack, 33-year-old Cory Patterson was arrested and identified as the man who pushed Duran onto the tracks. He’s charged with several offenses, including first-degree attempted murder.

Duran said he forgives him.

“I can’t hold that anger or any sort of resentment towards him,” he said. “I know that’s not going to do me any good.”

As he heals, he is staying positive and adamant about sharing his story hoping it’ll save someone else from going through this pain.

“I’m really grateful for the little things and be careful out there because it’s crazy out there,” Duran said. “Be grateful for the little things.”