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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

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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

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A driver injured in a two-car crash in Milford, Massachusetts died last week after suffering extensive internal injuries. Police had initially believed that the 55-year-old man would recover from the September 12 auto accident, which occurred when the man’s 2002 Dodge was hit by an 1998 Kia SUV. The SUV hit the driver’s side of the Dodge after failing to stop at the stop sign on the Fruit Street Extension.

Police discovered that the driver was not licensed. They cited her for driving without a license and failure to stop at a stop sign. The owner of the SUV was also cited for allowing an improper person to drive a car without a valid driver’s license.

Because of the driver’s death, the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council’s crash reconstruction team will conduct a scientific analysis. Officers will also review the autopsy review and make recommendations for any charges.

Driver from September crash dies; police to review circumstances, Milford Daily News, October 27, 2009 Continue reading

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On Monday evening, a freshman at the University of Massachusetts was injured after being hit by a vehicle and landing on the vehicle’s hood. The 18-year-old student was crossing Commonwealth Avenue around 6:22pm when she was hit by a southbound vehicle driven by an 18-year-old New Bedford woman.

The injured pedestrian was transported in an Amherst Fire Department ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A spokeswoman for the hospital said she has already been released from the hospital.

Charges have not been filed in the pedestrian accident, which remains under investigation. Commonwealth Avenue has been the site of several previous pedestrian accidents, including a 1999 incident where a student killed crossing the street. In light of these accidents, officials from University of Massachusetts and Amherst police are working together to raise awareness about safety in crosswalks.

UMass student injured when struck by vehicle in risky campus crosswalk, GazetteNet.com, November 4, 2009 Continue reading

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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

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Drivers may soon have a new navigational system that is even more advanced than GPS. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has teamed up with Volkswagen to create AIDA (Affective Intelligent Driving Agent), a robot device will be mounted on the dashboard and will synthesize information to help motorists avoid running out of gas, navigate around traffic jams, and plan their travel routes.

AIDA will not control the car, but it will be able to suggest alternate routes when there is a traffic jam or remind you to fill up on gas when your tank is running glow. It will also reportedly help “achieve more energy efficient and safer behavior.” AIDA analyses the driver’s patterns and keeps track of favorite routes and destinations like home or work.

A release date for AIDA has yet to be announced. At least one other car company is working on developing a similar product.

Volkswagen, MIT Develop In-Car Robot, US News & World Reports, November 2, 2009
AIDA: It’s more than an opera, Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2009 Continue reading

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Last week, police and registry inspectors caught at least 76 Massachusetts drivers for allegedly failing to stop for school buses picking up or dropping off student passengers. The annual event has been called “Operation Yellow Blitz” and is aimed at reminding those drivers that they must stop when a bus’s flashing red light goes on.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles fields thousands of complaints from police, school bus drivers, and parents about drivers who fail to stop for a school bus, creating a safety issue on the road. First-time offenders face a $250 citation. Those who receive a second violation within two years face a $1,000 fine and a six-month driver’s license suspension.

Last year, 60 Massachusetts communities set up surveillance teams for Operation Yellow Blitz, resulting in citations for 69 drivers.

Registry sting nabs alleged stop-light violators, Boston Herald, October 21, 2009 Continue reading

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Earlier this week, Chelmsford’s police chief told the Board of Selectmen that a traffic safety bill being considered on Beacon Hill is gaining support. Chelmsford selectmen and law enforcement officials say they support the bill, which would allow the Massachusetts town to install cameras at intersections in the hopes of catching drivers who run red lights.

The bill was filed in Massachusetts’ house and senate and would allow for cameras to take a digital photo of the rear end of a vehicle after it drives through a red light. Drivers would receive a time-stamped copy of the picture and a traffic ticket in the mail. Chelmsford’s police chief says the addition to cameras would improve the flow of traffic and increase safety on the road.

Some worry that the cameras could pose an invasion of privacy. However, violators of the red light law will not receive any merit rating surcharges nor will the ticket count against their driving record.

Chelmsford chief backs redlight camera bill, GateHouse News Service, October 27, 2009 Continue reading

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On Monday morning, a motor vehicle accident involving three tractor trailers and one car caused numerous delays on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Around 2:30am, one of the tractor trailers hit a tollbooth at the Weston Tolls on the eastbound side. Although a tollbooth operator was inside the building when the traffic crash occurred, the operator managed to escape injury.

The three trucks involved in the accident were carrying goods including beef, paper goods, and tomatoes, which spilled over the roadway. The driver of the car involved in the Massachusetts Pike accident was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the vehicle was wedged underneath one of the tractor trailers.

The motor vehicle accident is still under investigation, and the scene of the accident was cleared by around 10:30am. In order to keep traffic flowing, motorists did not have to pay tolls after four lanes of traffic opened in the morning.

Tractor trailers involved in crash at Weston tolls on Pike, WHDH.com, October 26, 2009 Continue reading

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Early on Saturday morning, a 32-year-old woman crashed her 2008 Mercedes into two Marion police cruisers on the side of Route 6. The first police car had its emergency lights flashing and there were no police officers in the vehicle at the time of the car crash, which occurred just 2am. Officers were talking to a driver who had been pulled over.

After hitting the first police car and pushing it into the center of the road, the Mercedes hit a second police car, which was parked on the side of the road while the driver assisted the other officer. According to a police report, the vehicle was pushed into the fast lane and sustained moderate damage. The Mercedes was severely damaged.

The driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and taken to Toby Hospital for treatment. She was later released. No one was else was injured in the auto accident, although the incident forced the closure of Route 6 in both directions for an hour. The motor vehicle crash is still under investigation, but police say alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor.

Marco woman crashes into two Massachusetts police cruisers, MarcoNews.com, October 26, 2009 Continue reading

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