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Train Derailment in Boston Was Speed Related

After a Boston Green Line underground subway derailed, at least 10 people were injured on Monday, mostly with minor injuries. Only one person was said to have sustained serious injuries, according to ...
Train Derailment in Boston Was Speed Related
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  • After a Boston Green Line underground subway derailed, at least 10 people were injured on Monday, mostly with minor injuries. Only one person was said to have sustained serious injuries, according to Boston EMT.

    EMS officials say the 10 injured people were transported to the hospital after the derailment and most were treated for neck and back injuries. The train’s driver was treated and released, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said.

    Pesaturo told FOX 25 the first car of a two-car D train derailed and struck a wall. The train was bound for Riverside at the time of the accident.

    After an immediate official investigation, it was determined that speed was a “contributing factor” in the derailment, and the trolley operator, Sydley Gardner, has been taken off the job, pending an investigation, according to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials.

    The operator, Gardener, a 48-year-old man who has been employed for five years, is now on paid leave pending further investigation.

    “A thorough inspection of the track and signal systems found neither defects nor anomalies,” said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. “Investigators continue to take a close look at the performance of the motor person who was operating the train at the time.”

    Surprisingly, Gardner has a long history of motor vehicle driving infractions, discovered after pulling his records from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, including speeding, failure to stop, and several license suspensions for lack of payment.

    In 2008, his date of hire, law did not require a driving background check for this specific position, so this information was not on his record.

    “There was an extremely loud smash, like when we came off the tracks, when I think we jackknifed,” passenger Caleb Dovel said.

    Further injuries were sustained when a second train slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the first train, tossing passengers around.

    “Everybody initially ran off the train. I think that was more scary because then we were trapped under ground and off the train,” Dovel said. “People were very lucky. It could have been a lot worse.”

    Officials worked through the night on Monday to clean up debris and clear tracks in time for the Tuesday am commute.

    Image via YouTube

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