Tragedy at rush hour
THE COLLISION of two MBTA trains in Newton Wednesday, a shock for the passengers and a tragedy for one of the operators, is now the subject of an inquiry by the National Transportation Safety Board. The investigators will look at the state of the signaling equipment and track, the condition of the brakes, and the actions of the operators, even though one of them, Terrese Edmonds, was the only fatality. Examining her condition and actions is a painful but necessary part of the probe.
The investigators will insist on drug and alcohol testing, said safety board spokesman Peter Knudson, and they will also look into Edmonds's actions for 72 hours before the crash to determine if anything she did might have impaired her work. It will take 12 to 18 months to complete their reports, but if they find any problems with the safety equipment or the trains, they will disclose them immediately so that the T can fix them.
Both trains were horribly damaged by the crash, but fortunately there were no other deaths. One passenger had to be flown to Boston Medical Center for treatment, but other injuries were slight. Disaster response teams from the Newton police and fire departments and the MBTA appeared to have responded effectively.
In the last year, Green Line trains have been involved in three other accidents, and this latest, and worst, raises questions about the safety of the line. The Federal Transit Administration reports that collisions have decreased from 30 in 2002 to six last year, while derailments are up, from nine in 2002 to 20 in 2007. There have been no deaths for at least 10 years until Edmonds was killed this week.
Pending the outcome of the investigation, the Green Line seems safe. But life occasionally veers toward a terrible unpredictability. A rush-hour trolley ride on a perfect spring evening became a nightmare in Newton this week. 