Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog
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
If you or a loved one has been injured in a commuter train accident, please contact our Massachusetts wrongful death attorneys for a free case evaluation.
