Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
MBTA Trolley Accidents: How Common Are They? (Part A)
Have you taken a ride on a trolley recently? How safe do you think they are? This mode of transportation is probably not one you would think of when you think of public transportation accidents. Yet, MBTA train accidents can and do happen.
MBTA Trolley Accidents News Reports
- According to CNN News, a recent Boston trolley accident occurred when one train rear-ended another. It turns out the driver of the trolley was in the middle of text messaging someone when the accident occurred. Twenty people sustained injuries as a result of this collision.
- Because of the involvement of text messaging during the accident, Massachusetts government has banned possession of cell phones and similar devices from drivers of buses, trains, and street cars while working. Whether or not the ban will have an effect on safety will remain to be seen. Some argue that people already know the dangers of driving while texting and yet accidents occur daily that are caused by text messaging and/or the use of cellular phones.
- The Boston Globe reported on another trolley accident which ended in a fatality in 2008, “An outbound Green Line trolley crowded with rush-hour passengers slammed into the back of a second trolley along an idyllic stretch of track in Newton yesterday evening, a collision that caused the two trains to derail, threw commuters from their seats, and killed the MBTA operator who was driving the second train.” The operator reportedly told police he was sending his girlfriend a text message while driving the trolley through the crowded and twisting subway corridor.
As you can see from these two reports, a simple trolley crash can actually be a horrific accident causing death and/or serious injuries. Riders might want to consider those impacts before choosing the trolley as their mode of transportation.
Continue to MBTA Trolley Accidents: How Common are They? (Part B) >>
