Fatal rails in MA
Two fatal crashes is not a good way to kick off the new year.
On January 9th, two MBTA workers were killed, four injured, and ten passengers injured when a commuter rail train crashed into a maintenance vehicle working on the tracks. Human error is being investigated as the cause of the accident. Apparently, several other trains had passed the work site without incident, but when the fatal train approached, the warning signal and switch that would have diverted the train were not activated.
On January 15th, a 15-year-old boy was killed when he was hit by an Amtrack Acela Express train passing through the Mansfield Commuter Rail Station. The boy had been traveling on the commuter rail by himself and somehow wound up on the opposite track when the Acela passed through. The Acela driver noticed something on the track, but the train was traveling at 140+ mph and could not stop in time. Apparently, the boy's mother, who was meeting him at the station, witnessed the accident.
The article about the Acela accident lists four other fatal MBTA-related accidents in the past few years. However, the unidentified man found dead on November 25th, apparently hit by an MBTA Green line train, was not listed. I have no idea whether this number of fatal accidents is average or not, but it is certainly adding up in the public consciousness. Unfortunately, I don't hear the MBTA responding.
Post Author:
ebs | 10:49 AM |
Link
|
TrackBacks
