Train Accidents

April 30, 2014

Elderly Woman Struck By MBTA Commuter Rail Train

An elderly Framingham woman was seriously injured when she was struck by a commuter rail train in downtown Framingham earlier this week.

The woman was struck by an inbound train near the Framingham rail station and it is still unclear as to how or why the accident occurred. The woman was medflighted to a Boston-area hospital for treatment of serious injuries and she is expected to make a full recovery.

MBTA ACCIDENTS

Whether you are someone who utilizes public transit on a daily basis or only occasionally, there is always a risk of injury as the result of human error (such as an operator’s behavior), equipment failure, as well as unsafe conditions on commuting premises. Unsafe conditions can be present in a number of locations, including at bus and train stations, on station platforms, on stairways and stairwells, and on entryways, and exits.
When these types of accidents occur, victims inevitably wonder what their next step should be along with recovery from their injuries. Common concerns may include payment for medical bills, compensation for lost wages because an injury prevents a normal work schedule, property damage, pain and suffering, and long-term care and disability.

No matter what the specific details of your incident, the attorneys at the law offices at Altman & Altman have the knowledge and experience to assist clients in filing a claim against the parties responsible for their injuries and help them achieve the financial compensation they deserve and are entitled to. In addition to assisting clients receive financial relief, we also connect clients with some of the most respected and knowledgeable health professionals to ensure that they receive the highest level of care available.
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March 24, 2014

Drowsy Driving May Have Been a Factor in CTA Train Crash That Injured Over 30

by Altman & Altman

According to CTA union president Robert Kelly, the operator of the Blue Line train involved in a train crash at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago early Monday morning may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The train train jumped the platform and went up an escalator.

Over 30 people were injured in the CTA train crash. None of the injuries are life-threatening.

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the accident. After the train crash, the eight-car train remained stuck on the escalator so investigators could try to figure out what happened.

March 11, 2014

Multiple Injuries in MBTA Green Line Derailment

by Altman & Altman

At approximately 12:30pm on Monday, March 10th, an MBTA Green line train heading outbound toward Riverside derailed and struck a wall near the Beacon Street portal where the D and C lines intersect, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. Multiple minor injuries were reported, with conflicting accounts coming from Boston EMS and MBTA Transit Police. Boston EMS reported via Twitter that 10 people, including the train operator, were taken to local hospital, while MBTA Transit police reported six injuries. Four people, including the operator of the derailed car reported having back pain following the crash, according to WHDH. Though most of the injuries reported were from the derailed train, some passengers in a train directly behind the accident were treated for injuries as the operator had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the disabled train.

According to the verified MBTA Twitter page, service between Kenmore and Fenway on the D line and Kenmore and St. Mary’s Street on the C line was shut down for the remainder of the day. Crews worked through the night to make sure MBTA service returned to normal this morning just after 5:00am.
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December 3, 2013

Fatigue and Human Error Possible Factors in NY Train Derailment

by Altman & Altman

Officials investigating the train that derailed near the Spuyten Duyvil station in Bronx, New York over the weekend believe human error may have been the main cause of the fatal incident.

The passenger train, which was en route to New York City early Sunday morning, jumped the tracks after going into a curve at 82 mph, nearly three times the speed limit. Four people were killed and dozens more were injured.

Anthony Bottalico, the leader of the rail employees union and the representative for William Rockfeller, the engineer responsible for the crash, said that human error was what may have caused the accident. On the day of the crash, Rockefeller was on the second day of a five-day workweek and reported for duty at 5:04 a.m. after working a typical, nine-hour shift the day before. According to Bottalico, Rockfeller said that he had been in a daze and that his mind had been wandering when he realized the train was in trouble. Rockfeller allegedly caught himself dozing off, and put the train into emergency only six seconds before the train and seven of its cars jumped off the tracks.

National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said that investigators have not yet found any evidence that there were any mechanical issues with the train and New York law enforcement officials have launched a separate investigation to determine whether criminal charges will be filed against Rockfeller. Alcohol and drugs have not been cited as factors in the accident, and officials are still investigating the cause.
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June 17, 2013

AAA Says Hands-Free Calling & Texting Devices Don’t Prevent Boston Distracted Driving Accidents

by Altman & Altman

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, sending and reading text messages with a hands-free devices or talking on a cell phone without using your hands while driving are no less distracting than doing these activities manually. The AAA’s study comes as voice-activated technologies that let people talk, text, and Facebook while driving continue to grow in popularity. This is the most comprehensive study of its kind to date. In Massachusetts, please contact our Boston injury lawyers if you believe that your car crash injuries or a loved one’s death was caused by a negligent driver.

Per the study, which sought to gauge how mental or cognitive distraction affect driving, even these hands-free devices don’t take away the mental distraction that can arise from engaging in so many other activities while operating a motor vehicle. As the mind becomes more distracted, the brain’s reaction capabilities slow down, as does its ability to detect vital cues on the road, including pedestrians and stop signs.

These findings are important for hands-free device manufacturers and also makers to know so that they can make sure that consumers don’t end up thinking that these types of products make it safer to text and talk while driving. AAA CEO Robert Darbelnet even called the surge in hands-free technology a “public safety crisis” just waiting to happen.

December 10, 2012

MBTA Fires “Inattentive” Driver Involved in Boston Train Crash

by Altman & Altman

The MBTA has fired the driver of a Green Line train that recently collided with another train, sending numerous riders to the hospital.

The reason for the termination is that the driver was “inattentive” at the time of the crash, said MBTA General Manager Jonathan R. Davis.

Davis said the driver was “solely responsible” for the accident. The driver had worked another, non-MBTA job from midnight to 8:00 a.m. before starting his MBTA job at 11:00 a.m., approximately an hour before the crash. The MBTA has not released the name of the driver or a description of the second job.

MBTA rules do not specifically prohibit employees from working additional jobs, but by not having sufficient rest before reporting to work, the driver was unfit for duty, violating MBTA policy, said Davis.

“Because of his alarming disregard for customer and employee safety in performing his duty as a Green Line operator, today he was fired,” Davis said at a news conference prior to a regularly scheduled meeting of the state transportation board. “The conclusion is he was inattentive to his duties as a Green Line operator, resulting in a collision with the other vehicle.”

The driver reported to investigators that he did not fall asleep while operating the train, said Davis. Investigators were unable to determine if that was in fact the case, said Davis.

The collision between two Green Line trains at the Boylston Street station occurred just before noon on Thursday, injuring tens of people. The train was entering the station when it rear-ended another train that had stopped on the platform.

37 people were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries. “People went flying, got their knees banged up. It was pretty hectic,” said one rider.

None of the trolleys were damaged in the crash and the station opened in time for the evening commute.
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December 3, 2012

No Cell Phone Use or Mechanical Failure in Boston Green Line MBTA Crash

by Altman & Altman

Last week, our Boston Personal Injury Lawyers blogged about the MBTA crash involving two Trolleys in Boston, MA. Investigators now report they have found no evidence that cell phone use or mechanical failure caused the crash between two Green Line trains on Thursday that injured 37 people, said the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

The collision occurred when “One trolley bumped into the rear of another trolley that was making a regular stop at the station,” said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. According to one rider, “people went flying, got their knees banged up. It was pretty hectic.”

“The train was going, and all of a sudden we heard a loud crash,” and “All of us just piled on top of each other,” one witness said.

EMTs set up a triage center outside the station to treat injured riders. 37 passengers were taken to area hospitals. The operator of the second trolley was also injured, Pesaturo said.
Chief of Boston EMS James Hooley said several people “complained of neck and back pain that required them to be carried up and extracted, but the majority of them – 28 or so – were walking, wounded.”

About 200 people were on the Green Line trains at the time of the crash.
MBTA officials downplayed the severity of the incident, saying it was a “slow-speed crash” that damaged no trolleys. There were no serious injuries, Hooley said.
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November 29, 2012

35 Hurt in Boston Trolley Accident Involving Two Trains

by Altman & Altman

A Boston train crash at Boylston Station this morning has left at least 35 people with injuries. Nine of the victims were immobilized because of possible neck or head injuries.

The Boston trolley collision happened when a Green Line train departing Park Street Station rear-ended a trolley that was at the Boylston Station platform. Both trains were two-car trains.

According to MBTA Transit Police, initial signs indicate that the moving train wasn’t going at a fast speed when impact was made. However, The Boston Globe quotes one witness who said that she didn’t think the operator of the train, which she was riding, had braked before the collision. Another witness said he saw one passenger, who was boarding the stopped trolley at the time, get knocked back onto the concrete platform where he landed face down.

October 30, 2012

Recent Assaults on MBTA in Boston Promt Investigation

by Altman & Altman

A bus owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was traveling on Albany Street near the Boston Medical Center early this morning when a male passenger demanded to be let off. The bus driver refused, as it was not an authorized bus stop, which agitated the passenger. The passenger then punched the driver in the side of the head and jumped out of the emergency window exit. The driver was treated for his injuries by Boston EMS and police continue to search for the passenger.

Unfortunately, this is not the first assault against an MBTA employee this month. A MBTA operator was spat on at the beginning of the month at the intersection of Washington Street and Harvard Street in Charlestown. MBTA employees are not surprised by these assaults as there has statistically been a rise of assaults annually. Transit police gave a picture of the suspect to the press in hopes of finding and prosecuting him.

Another incident occurred on Dudley Street and Hamden Street, when passenger Carlos A. Ramirez-Rodrigue entered the bus and started to verbally fight with the driver. After yelling a number of obscenities, the MBTA operator asked Ramirez-Rodrigue to leave the bus. Ramirez-Rodrigue responded by repeatedly spitting in the direction of the driver as he left the bus, and when the door to the bus closed, he began to punch the door causing the door window to shatter. He was subsequently arrested for damaging MBTA property as well as two counts of assault and battery. Sadly, there have been many incidents like this one involving the endangerment of MBTA employees this year, including a death that occurred last August.
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October 25, 2012

Multiple MBTA Accidents Occur at Cambridge and Boston Stations

by Altman & Altman

The MBTA provides a way to get around for those who want to take public transportation to get to almost any part of the state. Residents in Boston often prefer this type of commute because of the heavy congestion associated with driving. However, with accidents and dangerous activities occurring on the lines lately, residents might be wondering if they better off taking a chance in their own vehicles.

MBTA Train Deaths

Two accidents that occurred recently on the MBTA train tracks took the lives of two young adults. Last Wednesday night, a man was struck and killed by a commuter train in Boston. Police have yet to identify this man or the circumstances surrounding the incident. The man is believed to be 21-year old from Roslindale. The death still remains under investigation at the Forest Hills Station, where the man met his untimely devise at 9:45 that night by an oncoming train. The train immediately discontinued service and passengers from this train were transported via a shuttle bus. The train continued regular service the day after. Another man, who was 19 years of age, was also killed by a train in Salem the night after by Ocean Avenue and Broadway Street. This incident also remains under investigation, but transit police believes that “alcohol may have been a contributing factor in this incident.”
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