Middlesex DA: No evidence that driver in fatal Green Line crash was on cellphone
(Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)
An aerial view of the May 28 crash.
By Globe Staff
There is no evidence that the operator in the recent fatal Green Line trolley crash was using her cellphone in the moments leading up to the accident, the Middlesex district attorney said today.
District Attorney Gerry Leone said that Ter'rese Edmonds's phone was recovered at the scene, and investigators looked at records of her phone, text message, and Internet usage. Investigators also spoke to witnesses who had observed Edmonds during the moments before the crash.
"Based on that investigation, there is no evidence that she was in communication with anyone on her cellphone -- whether through phone calls, text messages, or e-mail -- in the time immediately leading up to the crash," Leone said in a statement. "There is also no evidence that she was in the process of using the Internet on her cellphone at the time of the crash."
Edmonds, 24, was killed in the crash on the D branch of the Green Line in Newton on May 28, and at least seven people were sent to the hospital with injuries.
Edmonds's trolley rear-ended another train at 37 to 38 miles per hour. It was speeding, going nearly four times faster than it should have been on that section of the track, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board found. There was no evidence that she applied the brakes before the crash.
NTSB investigators have ruled out faulty brakes, signals, and track as factors in the crash. So why Edmonds speeded down the line and crashed her trolley into the trolley ahead of her remains a mystery.
There had been speculation in the media that Edmonds was distracted by her cellphone in the moments before the crash.
MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas thanked state and transit police for their "diligent and thorough investigation," and promised that his agency would continue to work with NTSB to determine the cause of the accident.
Leone also announced that there would be no criminal charges springing from the accident, saying, "Because there are no prosecutable crimes, our criminal investigation is now closed and no criminal charges will be brought."
"We want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Ter'rese Edmonds and to all those who suffered injuries or were impacted by this tragic incident," Leone said.
