Injured shipyard worker improves

A man who was in a coma for nine days after being injured in a collapse at the former Fore River Shipyard is expected to return to his home tomorrow. Joseph Doyle, 35, of Derry, N.H., broke his back in two places in the Jan. 26 accident, which killed two people. A piece of the giant metal frame that held up to 22 shipbuilding cranes collapsed onto the building at the shipyard on the Quincy-Braintree line. The workers had been inside the building removing asbestos. Doyle was unconscious in the intensive care unit at Boston Medical Center until Feb. 4. After undergoing surgery to repair his back, he began therapy at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Boston, The Patriot Ledger of Quincy reported. (AP)

Truck hits school bus in I-93 tunnel
A school bus transporting 12 Edison Middle School students was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer yesterday morning inside the Interstate 93 southbound tunnel. The accident occurred south of Exit 23 when the tractor-trailer, driven by Barry Wentzell, 48, of Dunstable, swerved to avoid colliding with another vehicle and struck the rear of the bus, according to State Police. The driver of the bus, 63-year-old Michel Bernardin of Lynn, and three male students were transported to Boston Medical Center with minor injuries. Wentzell was uninjured, and no charges were filed. The accident closed two lanes of traffic for about an hour, until 7:45 a.m., police said.

MAYNARD
Tree worker seriously hurt by chipper
A man sustained serious injuries to his arm and head in a wood chip machine accident in Maynard yesterday, police said. The employee of Lucas Tree Experts was conscious when police and firefighters arrived at the scene near the intersection of Summer Street and Durant Avenue at about 2:15 p.m., Fire Captain Patrick Sullivan said. The victim's left arm was partially amputated in the accident, Sullivan said. The victim, whose name was withheld pending notification of his family, was flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Maynard police are investigating the accident. Sullivan said there were no witnesses. An official from the Portland, Maine, tree service company declined to comment.

BEVERLY
Train strikes car at crossing, injuring man
A Beverly man was in fair condition yesterday after a commuter train hit his car. Robert Seamans, 87, was crossing the tracks at a private crossing with no gate at Dexter Street when an outbound train struck the rear of his car, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. The engineer said he saw the car stop at the crossing, which is equipped with bells and lights, then go through in an attempt to beat the train, Pesaturo said. Seamans reported back pain but had no visible injuries. He was admitted to Beverly Hospital in fair condition, a hospital spokesman said. He was not ticketed in the incident.

WESTBOROUGH
Teen arraigned in series of break-ins
A teenager facing 19 charges stemming from 11 separate home invasions pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Westborough District Court, police said. Police said Jesse Newton, 19, a Westborough High School graduate, was caught in the basement of a home Monday, carrying more than $5,000 in stolen goods. Police suspected Newton, who is unemployed and homeless, was responsible for the daytime break-ins after seeing him walking around town in the early-morning hours, Sergeant Jonathan Kalagher said. He said Newton, who is being held in the Worcester County House of Correction in West Boylston, confessed to all 11 break-ins on Monday. He is due back in Westborough District Court on April 6.

CAMBRIDGE
Edwards to be visiting fellow at Harvard
Democratic vice presidential candidate and former North Carolina senator John Edwards will be among visiting fellows this spring at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the school announced yesterday. Edwards, 51, ran for the Democratic nomination for president before being chosen as US Senator John F. Kerry's running mate last year. Edwards will join US Representative Jim Kolbe, Republican of Arizona, and Michael Deaver, international vice chairman for Edelman Worldwide and former deputy chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan. The schedule for the fellows calls for Edwards to visit on April 13, Kolbe on March 7-8, and Deaver sometime in April, said school officials. (AP)