Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Last month, an eight-year-old girl who was visiting Boston from out-of-state was injured in an escalator accident at an MBTA subway station. She was wearing a pair of Crocs which got stuck in the escalator. The girl’s father and an MBTA employee pounded on the emergency kill switch, but the escalator wouldn’t stop.

Fortunately, the escalator freed the girl at the bottom, but part of her foot was crushed. The accident occurred at the Aquarium stop in downtown Boston. The girl’s parents question the safety of the MBTA, which officials says that parents should keep a close eye on children.

Last year, an 82-year-old woman died after being strangled in an MBTA escalator accident.

Source: Girl hospitalized after escalator accident at MBTA station in Boston, NECN.com, July 22, 2010

If you or a family member has been involved in a transportation accident, contact our Boston personal injury law firm to discuss your legal options.

On Monday afternoon, a 27-year-old Billerica man died after being hit by a commuter rail train in Wilmington. Authorities suspended commuter rail service between Anderson RTC and North Billerica stations following the train crash. Shuttle buses transported passengers between stations during the mid-afternoon.

The tracks under the Route 129 bridge separate a residential area from shops and restaurants. Residents say many pedestrians use that area as a shortcut and that it could be a safety concern.

The fatal train accident remains under investigation. MBTA officials did not release the name of the victim pending notification of his family.

Source: Billerica man killed by MBTA train in Wilmington, Lowell Sun, July 13, 2010

Continue reading "MBTA Commuter Train Kills Billerica Man" »

Earlier this year, a trolley crash on the Green Line injured several Boston College students riding in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. At the time, the MBTA said it would hold the students responsible for the accident.

However, investigators determined that the trolley driver was speeding and that the Cherokee was trying to make a legal U-turn when it was hit by the trolley. According to the MBTA General Manager, the trolley was approaching 35 mph in a 10 mph zone. The trolley was suspended for 10 days.

No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the MBTA accident, but the students riding in the Cherokee were cited for being in a vehicle with open containers of alcohol.

Source: MBTA says driver in Green Line trolley crash going too fast, Boston Herald, June 25, 2010

Continue reading "Investigation Into Green Line Crash Find T Operator was Speeding" »

Our MBTA accident attorneys have recently learned that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority plans to close a loophole that had allowed operators on the Orange, Red, and Blue lines to maneuver subway trains without a driver’s license. Currently, driver’s licenses are only required for Green Line and bus drivers, because those vehicles operate at least in part on public streets.

The MBTA’s General Manager said it’s unusual for a T operator to not have a driver’s license, but the new policy will make it a requirement for future hires. The new requirement will also impact T employees because it means their license status will be reviewed by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Governor Deval Patrick ordered a review of all MBTA hiring after a 2009 trolley accident on the Green Line.

Source: MBTA expanding its driver's license requirement, Boston Globe, June 19, 2010

Continue reading "MBTA Changes Driver’s License Policies" »

Just over a year has passed since the May 8 trolley crash that injured 62 passengers and caused an estimated $9 million in equipment damage. The T operator who ran through yellow and red lights as he was text messaging was dismissed by the MBTA and faces trial next October. In addition, the MBTA has disciplined 18 workers for using or carrying cell phones on the job as part of the text messaging ban that followed swiftly on the heels of the MBTA accident. Ten of those workers were fired.

In contrast to the MBTA's quick reaction, the writer of a Boston Globe article points out that the Massachusetts House and Senate have been slower to pass a texting ban for Massachusetts drivers. The Senate is requiring that drivers age 75 and older undergo medical screenings to maintain their driver's licenses. On the House side, the bill is hung up over a provision that mandate handsfree cell phones.

However, the House Speaker assured the writer that the bill will pass before the sessions ends at the end of July.

Source: 18 T operators punished under year-old texting ban, Boston Globe, May 7, 2010

Continue reading "MBTA Disciplines 18 Employees After Cell Phone Ban" »

On Thursday, a three-alarm electrical fire on the tracks north of Downtown Crossing station in Boston send at least 17 MBTA passengers to local hospitals, where they were treated for smoke inhalation. According to one passenger, the train had pulled into the station and the subway operator quickly closed the doors after noticing the intense smoke in the station. The MBTA also evacuated several hundred passengers from the train and station.

In response to the fire, the MBTA shut down service on several subway lines. Buses replaced service between Broadway Station and Harvard Square on the Red Line, Arlington Station and North Station on the Green Line, and Back Bay Station and North Station on the Orange Line.

None of the passengers' injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

Source: MBTA Fire Shuts Down Subways, Injures Dozens, TheBostonChannel.com, April 29, 2010

Continue reading "MBTA Shuts Down Red Line After Electrical Fire" »

According to Massachusetts transit police, a Green Line trolley collided with a black Jeep Cherokee around midnight on Sunday. The Jeep Cherokee reportedly carried eight Boston College students, including four college athletes, all under the legal drinking age. Several of the students were injured and treated at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, but neither the driver of the trolley nor any of its passengers were hurt.

Police apparently searched the vehicle after the MBTA crash and found several open and unopened beer cans, as well as an unopened 1.75 liter bottle of vodka. They also found "flood smeared beer cans" at the site of the trolley accident.

The MBTA has announced that it will hold the students responsible for the SUV accident and wants them to pay repair costs. The eight students will also face citations for being minors in possession of alcohol.

Source: Four BC athletes to face alcohol charges after Green Line collision, The Boston Globe, April 26, 2010

Continue reading "Boston College Athletes Involved with Green Line Crash" »

Last week's bus accident, which killed a 22-year-old bicyclist from Mission Hill, highlights the dangers of biking around congested city streets. It has also spurred Boston cyclists to fight for better safety measures.

Fatal bike accidents are not common in Massachusetts. In fact, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles reports that out of the more than 700 cycling accidents in 2008, only 10 resulted in fatalities.

However, cyclists say that drivers ignore them the road and that trolley tracks, particularly those on Huntington Avenue, where cyclists must pedal through traffic, pose a safety threat.

Transit authorities are still investigating the recent bus accident but say there is no evidence that the cyclist's wheels got stuck in the trolley tracks.

Source: Cyclists urging safety measures after fatal crash, Boston Globe, April 9, 2010

Continue reading "After Fatal Accident, Boston Cyclists Fight for Better Safety" »

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recently issued a press release announcing that MBTA bus drivers are actually safer than many motorists. According to the press release, the MBTA averaged 1.3 bus accidents for every hundred thousand miles last year, which represents a drop of more than 25% from 2007.

Although the MBTA has had several bus and subway accidents over the past year, most of the bus accidents (an estimated 83%) could not have been prevented by the bus driver. Those statistics found that an auto driver is four times more likely to make an error that results in a traffic accident with a bus than the MBTA bus driver is.

These findings could be attributed to several factors. The MBTA has recently added an operator recertification project and a zero-tolerance policy towards driving possessing mobile phones and electronic devices.

Source: MBTA Drivers Are Safer Than Many Motorists, Quincy Cove, March 1, 2010

Continue reading "MBTA Safety Record Improving, According to Transportation Authority" »

Yesterday morning, two Green Line trains collided underground near Boylston Station. According to a spokeswoman for the MBTA, both trains were traveling about 5 miles per hour when the trolley crash occurred. Officials said there were no injuries, but police were investigating reports that two people suffered minor injuries.

One of the trains sustained minor damage and both trains were taken out of service. Roughly 200 people were on board the trains at the time of the MBTA accident, and they were evacuated. As is routine, the MBTA employees on the two trains will undergo drug and alcohol testing. MBTA officials say there is no indication of signal or equipment problems, nor do they believe that cell phones or other electronic devices were involved.

Trolley service was interrupted for about 15 minutes after the train collision.

Source: Police Investigate Green Line Crash, TheBostonChannel.com, February 9, 2010

Continue reading "Authorities Investigating MBTA Accident on the Green Line" »

On Sunday morning, a Green Line trolley and a car collided, shutting down MBTA service on the B line for about an hour. No one on the trolley was injured, but the driver was treated for a cut on his head at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton.

The car accident occurred around 8:30am at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Lake Street. MBTA officials claim the driver ran a red light and crashed into the train. Trolley service was restored an hour later, and an MBTA bus was called to transport riders in the interim.

Authorities are still investigating the MBTA crash.

Source: Green Line Trolley, Car Collide In Brighton, WBZTV.com, January 10, 2010

Continue reading "Brighton Trolley Crash Interrupts T Service " »

Last week, a 59-year-old Massachusetts man was injured after reportedly jumping from a moving commuter train in Central Square. The train was headed to Rockport, and the man is apparently homeless and living in Revere.

A representative from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said the train accident occurred just before 9pm on Thursday evening, when the man leapt from the train, lost his footing, and feel between the platform and the train as it began to move again. The MBTA accident victim reportedly injured his left arm and was given first aid by passengers. Commuter train service resumed at 11:20pm that night.

As of last Friday, the train accident victim was in serious condition at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital.

Source: Train accident victim identified as Revere homeless man, ItemLive.com, January 8, 2010

Continue reading "Revere Homeless Man Injured in Train Accident " »

Last Tuesday afternoon, bus service replaced trains after a subway car derailment on the MBTA's Red Line. The accident occurred at the Alewife MBTA station in Cambridge when the fourth of a six-car train leaving Alewife derailed. According to a spokesperson for the MBTA, 65 passengers were safely evacuated after the train derailed.

The MBTA used bus replacement service between Harvard Station and Alewife for the remainder of the day, and train service out of Alewife had resumed by 5am the following day, albeit with 10-15 minute delays.

According to Cambridge's Deputy Fire Chief, employees for the MBTA were able to put out a few fires before the Cambridge Fire Department arrived at the scene.

Source: Delays after Red Line train derails at Alewife T station, WickedLocal.com, December 22, 2009

Continue reading "Red Line Train Derails at Alewife, Causing Delays " »

Last Tuesday afternoon, bus service replaced trains after a subway car derailment on the MBTA's Red Line. The accident occurred at the Alewife MBTA station in Cambridge when the fourth of a six-car train leaving Alewife derailed. According to a spokesperson for the MBTA, 65 passengers were safely evacuated after the train derailed.

The MBTA used bus replacement service between Harvard Station and Alewife for the remainder of the day, and train service out of Alewife had resumed by 5am the following day, albeit with 10-15 minute delays.

According to Cambridge's Deputy Fire Chief, employees for the MBTA were able to put out a few fires before the Cambridge Fire Department arrived at the scene.

Source: Delays after Red Line train derails at Alewife T station, WickedLocal.com, December 22, 2009

Continue reading "Red Line Train Derails at Alewife, Causing Delays " »

A bus crash last week near Boston's Copley Place injured a 54-year-old pedestrian. According to a press release issued by the Suffolk district attorney's office, the MBTA bus accident occurred just after midnight near the intersection of Ring Road and Huntington Avenue.

The Route 9 bus was headed west on Huntington Avenue and did not have any passengers at the time of the bus crash. As of Friday, the pedestrian was still in the intensive care unit at Boston Medical Center.

The bus driver will be tested for drug or alcohol impairment in accordance with the MBTA's standard policy, but investigators say he did not show any signs of impairment following the collision.

Source: Pedestrian critical after MBTA bus collision in Back Bay, Boston Globe, December 11, 2009

Continue reading "MBTA Bus Crash in Boston Injures Pedestrian" »

Yesterday afternoon, an outbound MBTA trolley carrying 90 people derailed at Copley Station, shutting down MBTA service for several hours. According to the Boston Herald, the subway accident sparked a small fire, which crews extinguished quickly.

The MBTA provided bus replacement service between Kenmore Station and Park Street on the Green Line as crews worked to clear up the accident.

An MBTA spokesman said there no injuries in the train accident, because the trolley was moving at a very low speed. The accident remains under investigation, but the MBTA says there is no cause to believe that the operator did anything unsafe.

Sources: Green line trolley derails, no injuries, Boston Herald, December 13, 2009

Green Line trolley derails at Copley Station, WHDH.com, December 13, 2009

Continue reading "No Injuries Reported in Green Line Trolley Derailment" »

On Saturday evening, a retired Haverhill Police officer died in an MBTA commuter train accident. When it pulled into Newburyport station at 5:32pm, the train hit and killed 63-year-old Richard Witkiewicz. MBTA officials and the District Attorney's office have ruled the death an accident. A spokesperson for the MBTA said the man was crossing the tracks in a pedestrian crosswalk when he was hit.

However, a taxi driver who was the last person to speak to Witkiewicz before he died told the Newburyport News he doesn't believe Witkiewicz walked in front of the train.

According to the driver, "I saw his body; it wasn't on the tracks, and if he stepped in front of a train going 30 miles per hour, he would have been mangled. He had a severe head wound. He got clipped by the train."

The fatal accident is still being investigated.

Source: Witness disputes MBTA's report on train accident, The Daily News, December 1, 2009

Continue reading "MBTA Accident Kills Retired Haverhill Policeman" »

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has come under scrutiny regarding several recent subway accidents. However, one near accident last Friday night had a happy ending thanks to the quick reactions of an MBTA inspector and an Orange Line operator. Both employees received a standing ovation during an MBTA meeting earlier this week.

The incident occurred at North Station when a passenger who reportedly had been drinking for several hours fell off the platform Friday evening. Passengers flailed their arms and the inspector quickly radioed the subway operator to warn her to stop. After applying the emergency brake, the heavy subway car stopped just inches from away from the woman. The unidentified woman was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital as a precaution.

A bystander who pulled the woman from the subway tracks after the near-accident says she wrote the MBTA and the Boston Globe that night to ensure that the train inspector and operator received recognition for their role in averting the subway accident.

Source: MBTA workers honored for roles in averting subway accident, Boston Globe, November 10, 2009

Continue reading "MBTA Recognizes Workers Who Helped Prevent Subway Accident" »

Officials in Belmont, Massachusetts are investigating an MBTA commuter rail accident that killed an 18-year-old woman on Thursday afternoon. The train accident occurred around 12:52pm when the teen crossed the train tracks for unknown reasons and apparently didn't see or hear the oncoming train. Police believe the MBTA accident victim was a student at the nearby Belmont High School.

According to Deputy Chief of the MBTA Transit Police, the train stopped a "short distance" after impact. Investigators are still determining the train's speed, but the deputy chief said that commuter trains in that section of the track can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Some students reportedly crawl through a hole in the fence and cross the commuter rail tracks a short cut, but a note on Belmont High School's website cautions that anyone found on the tracks is subject to arrest on charges of trespassing.

The name of the victim has not been released pending notification of her family. The fatal train accident is being investigated by the transit police and the Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Sources: Probe Continues Into Girl's Train Death, TheBostonChannel.com, November 6, 2009

Belmont teen struck and killed by MBTA commuter rail train, WickedLocal.com, November 5, 2009

Continue reading "MBTA Commuter Train Hits and Kills Belmont Student" »

In February, an 82-year-old Dorchester woman was killed in an MBTA escalator accident when her hair and scarf got caught in the escalator. Although the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority suggested that the woman died of cardiac arrest, a suit filed in Suffolk Superior Court states that a medical examiner found that the woman actually died of strangulation. The occurred at the Orange Line's State Street stop near escalator accidentCity Hall.

Some passerby tried to free the woman but she was pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital after struggling against the machinery. According to the suit, the MBTA had a watchman booth at the State Street stop, but it was unmanned at the time of the accident. The emergency button failed to stop the escalators, and the emergency call box used by bystanders to call for help reportedly did not work.

A spokesperson for the MBTA says the agency has not yet seen the lawsuit and that a state inspector did not find anything wrong with the escalator.

Escalator is cited in death at T station, Boston Globe, November 3, 2009

Continue reading "Family of Woman Who Died in MBTA Escalator Accident Files Suit" »

The Boston Globe reports that a commuter rail accident earlier this week injured 18 people. The MBTA crash occurred on the Worcester line as it entered South Station Tuesday morning. The engineer controlling the commuter train reportedly mistimed the train's entry into the station and hit a metal bumping post. The impact knocked passengers off their feet, onto the floor, and into seats around them. Most of their injuries were minor.

A total of 13 people were taken to local hospitals. Nine passengers were carried from the scene of the accident on backboards. Five people were treated for minor injuries at the scene of the accident but refused to go the hospital. Five other patients were taken to Boston Medical Center, and four were expected to be released within a couple of hours, according to the chairman of emergency medicine. The firth person was taken in for observation.

A preliminary investigation of the train accident has ruled out issues with signals, dispatching, and equipment. In accordance with the MBTA's policy, the driver was taken out of service and tested for drugs and alcohol. The 35-year-old had no disciplinary incidents in his personal record.

S. Station commuter train crash injures 18, Boston Globe, September 16, 2009

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On Wednesday evening, a Green Line train derailed at 5:50pm, according to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Fortunately, the train was not in service and neither of the two crew members onboard were injured. The MBTA accident occurred as the inbound trolley was looping to go outbound.

Service on the Green Line was suspended between Government Center and North Station, but was expected to resume by early Thursday morning. This marks the second Green Line accident near Government Center this year. An earlier subway accident in May injured dozens of people and caused millions of dollars in damage.

Authorities are investigating what caused the trolley to derail.

Green line train derails at Govt. Center, Daily Free Press, September 3, 2009

Continue reading "No Injuries in MBTA Accident at Government Center" »

Last week, a man in his fifties was injured when he leaned past the yellow line on the platform and was struck by a northbound Red Line train. According to Deputy Chief Joseph O'Connor, the man was transported to Tufts Medical Center after suffering head injuries and upper body lacerations. An MBTA spokesman said the injuries were minor.

Following the MBTA accident, the T diverted trains, running substitute shuttle bus service between Broadway and Park Street stations. Because Downtown Crossing was too congested for buses, T officials instructed passengers to walk to South Station.

The Red Line resumed service a little less than an hour after the subway accident. Authorities are still trying to determine what happened to cause the accident.

Red Line resumes service after train strikes person at South Station, Boston Globe, August 20, 2009

Continue reading "Red Line Train Strikes a Person at South Station" »

Last week, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority's general manager Daniel A. Grabauskas resigned under pressure from the current Democratic administration. Under Grabauskas's leadership, the MBTA had come under fire for several reasons, including a subway accident earlier this year that over 60 people and caused $9 million in property damage. The MBTA was also being criticized for its financial woes, as the transit authority threatened to increase fares and/or cut service to make up million dollars in debt.

Despite criticism of Grabauskas' leadership, he won a payout of $327,487, a sum that some consider to be irresponsible in light of the MBTA's financial trouble.

In a press conference at the MBTA's operations control center last week, State Transportation Secretary James A. Aloisi Jr. and MBTA interim general manager William Mitchell reassured MBTA customers that service and accountability would improve under new leadership. The merger of state transit agencies will be completed on November 1.

Aloisi promises a better MBTA, Boston Globe, August 8, 2009

Continue reading "MBTA General Manager Resigns Amid Controversy " »

The Associated Press reports that two injured women have sued the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) over the May 8 MBTA accident that injured 62 people when two trains collided. A personal injury lawyer for Rebecca Bishop says the woman fractured her pelvis as a result of the subway accident.

In a separate suit, Jennifer Levi of Brookline is suing because she suffered a wrist injury and is concerned about the health of her unborn child. Both suits were filed in Suffolk Superior Court last month. They don't name a dollar amount, but the injured women seek "ample compensation."

According to a spokesperson for the MBTA, the transit authority does not comment on pending litigation.

2 injured women sue over Boston trolley crash, Associated Press, July 21, 2009

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The Boston subway operator who was allegedly texting his girlfriend when he missed a red light and hit another subway car appeared in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston earlier today. He pleaded not guilty to one charge of gross negligence while in control of a train.

Twenty-four-year old Aiden Quinn was free set free without bail, but he is due back in court next Monday.

Quinn was fired from his with the MBTA the week after the subway accident and faces up to three years in prison for the May 8 accident, which injured dozens of people and caused $9 million in property damage. He also suffered a broken wrist in the MBTA accident.

T driver pleads not guilty, Boston Herald, July 20, 2009

Texting Boston Trolley Driver to Appear in Court, Associated Press, July 20, 2009

Continue reading "MBTA Driver Involved in Accident Pleads Not Guilty " »

The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating a fatal train accident that occurred last year, killing a Boston trolley operator. The safety board's 14-month investigation blamed the operator for ignoring a red signal along the tracks but also criticized the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for failing to screen operators for sleep disorders.

The board suspects that the operator may have had a sleep disorder and potentially fell asleep behind the wheel, causing her to miss the red signal. Although she had not been diagnosed with sleep apnea, the board concluded that the operator likely had an undiagnosed sleep disorder because she was obese and tests showed that she had taken doxylamine, an ingredient commonly found in sleep aids.

There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of the MBTA accident, which makes it surprising that the operator did not apply the brakes to avoid an accident. The trolley collision occurred in Newton, Massachusetts and caused an estimated $8.6 million in damage.

NTSB: Sleep disorder may have contributed to Boston train crash, CNN.com, July 14, 2009

Continue reading "Boston Train Crash May Have Been Caused by Sleep Disorder" »

Following a subway accident that injured close to fifty people last week, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced that it will ban subway and bus drivers from carrying electronic devices of any kind while they are operating T vehicles. The ban goes into effect on Monday.

The driver involved with last week's subway crash is refusing to answer questions from federal investigators regarding the MBTA accident. He has already admitted to texting his girlfriend at the time of the crash.

MBTA operators are already banned from using cell phones on the job. Those found with a cell phone in their possession will now face a 10-day suspension. If they are found using a cell phone, employees face an automatic 30-day suspension and recommendation for discharge. This is the strictest regulation of any major transit authority in the country.

Mass. Transit Authority Banning Driver Cell Phones, WBUR.com, May 13, 2009

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A Blue Line train accident on Friday morning claimed the life of a Winthrop man who reportedly jumped in front of the train. Media outlets have reported his age as 44 or 54, and the circumstances surrounding this apparent suicide are unknown.

The man was hit and killed by a train entering Revere Beach station around 10:30am, according to a statement issued by the MBTA.

The MBTA was forced to Blue Line interrupt service for about two hours following the MBTA accident, and commuters were bused between Orient Heights and Wonderland in both directions while MBTA Transit Police and the district attorney's office investigated the train accident. By about 12:30pm, the Blue Line was running as scheduled.

Revere Blue Line service interrupted by apparent suicide, ItemLive.com, May 8, 2009

Man killed in Blue Line train accident, Boston Globe, May 8, 2009

Continue reading "Blue Line Train Accident Kills Winthrop Man" »

On Friday evening, an MBTA crash injured over forty people and forced MBTA to temporarily discontinue service between Government Center and Park Street on the Green Line. Two trains collided when an MBTA driver reportedly passed a yellow light, then ran a red light while texting his girlfriend.

Authorities said the driver, Aiden Quinn, 24, of Attleboro, Massachusetts, may be fired later this week if investigators confirm that he was using a cell phone prior to the crash. He may also face criminal charges, and officials say he did not attend a meeting with MBTA supervisors on Sunday.

The MBTA has already banned trolley operators from texting while on duty in response to an earlier MBTA accident. The MBTA has already suspended several other bus and trolley drivers for using cell phones while driving. However, the more recent incident has triggered an even tougher policy that will soon go into effect: train drivers caught with a cell phone while working will be fired.

Damages from the train crash are estimated around $9.6 million, but it is still under investigation.

Green Line Trains Running, Crash Under Investigation, The Boston Channel, May 11, 2009

Continue reading "MBTA Driver May Face Charges in Boston Train Crash" »

Governor Deval Patrick and a blue-ribbon panel sought a $100,000 cap on damages paid for public transit accidents, but before the vote, the Massachusetts Senate's Ways and Means Committee added loophole exempting cases that involve "serious bodily injury or death."

Joe Pesaturo, a spokesperson for the MBTA, said the transit authority has been seeking such a cap since 1985. He estimates that such caps could save the transit authority 20 to 25 percent in personal injury-related claims.

Right now the MBTA is appealing two judgments totaling $20 million. One case involves a woman who was hit by a bus while standing at a bus stop in Somerville. Another involves a woman who lost a leg following a bus accident in 2004.

However, Senator Steven Panagiotakos, a personal injury lawyer in Lowell, claims that mass transit agencies should not be exempt from paying high liability awards because of the dangerous nature of transportation.

"If they're getting hit with punitive damages, it's a sign it's a pretty serious matter to begin with," said Panagiotakos. "So maybe it will get them to fall in line better."

Senate Weakens Reform In Transportation Bill, The Boston Channel, April 3, 2009

Continue reading "Massachusetts Considering Cap on MBTA Accident Claims" »

Yesterday morning, an 82-year-old woman from Dorchester, Massachusetts died on an escalator at the MBTA’s State Street station. Helen Jackson was on her way to an eye doctor’s appointment around 10am when the escalator accident occurred.

According to MBTA officials, she was leaving the Orange Line platform, almost at the top of the escalator, when she fell, catching a piece of her clothing in the escalator. Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest, but it was unclear whether that occurred before or after her fall.

Though rescue crews rushed to her aid, she was pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital. The accident is under investigation, and authorities plan to perform an autopsy.

The Boston Globe reports that another MBTA escalator accident occurred in 2005, when a 34-year-old from East Boston died at Porter Square Station on the Red Line. The man’s sweatshirt got caught a gap in the escalator’s machinery and the moving stairs pulled the hood taut around his neck.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission states that there were 11,000 escalator-related injuries in 2007, most the result of falls.

Woman dies in T escalator accident, Boston Globe, February 25, 2009

Continue reading "Dorchester Woman Killed in T Escalator Accident" »

The Boston Globe reports that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is struggling to pay down $5.2 billion in debt. The MBTA anticipates that it will have to increase fares by as much as 25 percent, make drastic cuts in service, or lay off employees so that it can pay down the agency’s debt.

One of the key spending issues is the MBTA’s pension and healthcare coverage. This fiscal year, the agency will pay more than $385 million on employee salaries and $170 million fringe benefits. The agency may have to cut services such as the commuter bus and the suburban bus subsidy. Many hope that in light of several MBTA accidents in the past year that the agency will continue to take appropriate safety precautions and train its employees on accident prevention.

These possible cuts come during a time when ridership is reportedly declining. According to an article in the Boston Herald, weekday T ridership was down 1.5% in December compared to December of 2007. Officials attributed to the drop in ridership numbers to declining gas prices and the increasing unemployment.

MBTA faces fare hikes, cuts in service, Boston Globe, February 13, 2009

T ridership boom begins to fall off, Boston Herald, January 31, 2009

Continue reading "As MBTA Ridership Declines, T Officials Discuss Fare Hikes" »

In Brockton, an unidentified man was struck and killed by a commuter train yesterday. According to a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the train was traveling outbound on the Middleborogh/Lakeville Line when the MBTA accident occurred.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Police said the commuter train accident victim and another unidentified man were driving around the tracks on a quad runner vehicle. The pair stopped to use the restroom, and the victim climbed onto the tracks, where he was struck and killed. Although police questioned the other man, no charges were filed as of Sunday evening. The fatal train accident is under investigation.

Man killed in train crash, Boston Herald, February 16, 2009

Man killed by commuter rail train in Brockton, Patriot Ledger, February 16, 2009

Continue reading "Massachusetts Man Killed by Commuter Train" »

The Boston Globe reports that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is adding defibrillators to its commuter trains in case of passenger heart attacks. Last week, MBTA officials said that thirty cardiac machines have already been installed and the MBTA plans to outfit its entire fleet of trains by the end of the spring. The MBTA is also training its conductors and assistant conductors in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillator use.

The installation was urged by Marlene Allen, a Wellesley women whose husband died on a commuter rail train in 2002. The passenger suffered a heart attack and had to wait for medical attention while the commuter train made its regular stops. The train conductor stopped at three different stations during a 20 minute period but there were no cardiac machines on board the train and the conductor did not promptly call for medical help.

As a result of her husband’s death, Allen won a $3.9 million settlement from the MBTA and Amtrak, which at the time had a contract to run the MBTA’s commuter service.

Widow glad MBTA to get defibrillators, Boston Globe, February 3, 2009

MBTA installs defibrillators on commuter rail, Associated Press, February 2, 2009

Continue reading "After Passenger Dies Onboard, MBTA Adds Defibrillators" »

A 21-year-old Boston College student who was hit by an MBTA trolley in November is improving, according to a spokesperson for Boston College. BC junior Michael Cordo, of Sudbury, was treated for head trauma at Brigham and Women’s Hospital after the trolley accident.

The MBTA has confirmed that the driver of the rear trolley car that was involved with the accident tested positive in a drug and alcohol test and has been suspended, but it would not confirm if the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The MBTA maintains that it has a strict zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol use in its drivers.

Another MBTA accident that occurred on November 14 left seven people injured. Both MBTA accidents are under investigation, which can take between four and six months.

Sudbury man hit by T doing better, MetroWest Daily News, December 5, 2008

Continue reading "Boston College Student Improving After MBTA Accident " »

The Boston Globe reported recently that two members of the MBTA crews connected with recent accidents on the Green Line have tested positive for drugs or alcohol. Neither accident resulted in life-threatening injuries, but testing was part of part of routine accident procedure. Both employees were suspended without pay while the MBTA works through the formal process of dismissing them.

The MBTA would not release the names of the employees in question, and it denied that the positive test results were indicative of a substance abuse problem within the MBTA. According to MBTA officials, the T’s safety regulations are actually more thorough than those mandated by the Federal Transit Administration.

The MBTA’s safety program includes drug and alcohol screenings before hiring crew members and random tests on crew members with safety-sensitive jobs. Both of the employees in question had tested negative during random screenings over the past 13 months.

Both accidents remain under investigation.

2 at T may be fired in crashes, Boston Globe, November 21, 2008

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In Brighton, Massachusetts, a Boston College student was hit by a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) train on Monday morning. The trolley accident occurred near Lake Street and Commonwealth Avenue, where the unidentified 21-year old walked in front of an inbound train.

A spokesperson for the MBTA said that the trolley operator attempted to get the pedestrian’s attention by blowing the horn. However, the student was wearing headphones, so these attempts failed to get his attention.

Both the trolley operator and the trolley accident victim were taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The operator underwent routine drug and alcohol tests, while the victim received treatment for head and leg injuries, as well as facial lacerations.

The MBTA bused riders between Washington Street and Boston College stations as they investigated the MBTA accident.

BC Student Hit, Hurt By Green Line Trolley, TheBostonChannel.com, November 17, 2008

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This morning around 8:45am, a trolley collision in Boston’s Boylston T station sent seven people, including two trolley conductors, to the hospital. The MBTA accident victims reported neck and pain and were transported to New England Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

According to spokesperson for the MBTA, one trolley bumped into a second trolley, causing the two trolleys to hitch together. Both trains contained about 500 commuters, who exited the trolley and walked through the subway tunnel to get to Boylston station.

Although the subway accident did not damage or derail the trains, Green Line service was delayed for several hours. Riders took buses between stations at Arlington and Government Center before regular trolley service resumed just before 10:30am. Investigators say they will examine the tracks, signals, and the behavior of the train operators to determine the cause of the trolley collision.

Trolley collision injures 7, delays Green Line, Boston Globe, November 14, 2008

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