Thursday, 4:30 PM
Commuter train hits truck in Franklin, injures 18
(Robert E. Klein for the Boston Globe)
A low-boy tractor trailer truck carrying a stone crusher was struck by a train this morning when the truck got stuck on the tracks at the Fisher Street crossing in Franklin.
By John Ellement, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
FRANKLIN -- About 250 passengers had just settled into their seats on an inbound Franklin line commuter train this morning when an engineer reached the emergency brake. A flatbed truck lugging a massive yellow stone crusher had gotten wedged on the rail crossing at Fisher Street, and the 40 mph train had just over 400 feet to stop, according to transit officials.
The brakes hissed, the train shook and fresh cups of coffee and newspapers went flying, according to passengers who were there.
"The engineer called out "hang on" and immediately after there was a very hard impact, followed by windows breaking and the train car leaning over as if it would roll," said Dillon Barfield of Uxbridge in an email. (To read more first hand accounts of the accident, click here, or to see a photo gallery of the accident, click here)
The emergency brake slowed the train to 30 mph, but it still hit the truck with a thud at about 7:52 a.m., according to Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The stone crusher swung around and hit the middle of the first car of the train. About 18 people who had been riding in the first car were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries, according Pesaturo. Rescue crews rushed to the scene.
"The Franklin [police] and Fire Departments should be commended for their professional and courteous actions this morning," said passenger Mike Buckley of Blackstone in an e-mail. "Great job by them, as well as the ... conductors who were quick to offer assistance, kept us informed as to what was going on, and really did a great job."
The train derailed as a result of the accident and will be stuck at the Fisher Street rail crossing for some time, Pesaturo said. The train had just begun its run to Boston. Shuttle busses are running between the Forge Park and Franklin stops.
Pete Arbogast was working at nearby Blackstone Valley Woodworks when he heard a loud bang and threw open the deliver bay doors. Arbogast said he saw about 100 people getting off the derailed train. The crowd remained calm, he said, and there no indications of major injuries.
"They were very good about it. I was surprised," said Arbogast, referring to the passengers. "Lots of people took it in stride."
A sign on the construction equipment said it belonged to Walsh Contracting Corp. in Attleboro. The company did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. The crossing did have gates and bells, and there is a sign warning low-bed trucks to avoid the area.
Franklin is about 40 miles southwest of Boston. The train line runs from Forge Park near Interstate 495 to South Station.
