MBTA seeking witnesses to Green Line crash

June 3, 2008 04:16 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The MBTA is asking passengers who were riding the trolley during the fatal Green Line crash last week to come forward to tell their stories.

The transit authority said it was working in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading an investigation into the crash last Wednesday that killed the driver of one trolley and sent seven people to the hospital. It said it was also interested in talking to anyone who was at the Woodland or Waban stations at the time of the accident.

People who have information can call 617-222-5135 and leave their name and telephone number, and they will be contacted by an official from the MBTA Safety Department, the MBTA said in a statement.

A trolley on the Green Line's D branch in Newton rear-ended another trolley at 37 to 38 miles per hour during evening rush hour, killing the operator of the rear trolley. National Transportation Safety Board investigators have said they are investigating whether the operator, Ter'rese Edmonds, was on her cellphone.

MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas said today that MBTA employees have been reminded that they must stay off of their cellphones while operating subways, buses, trolleys, and trains.

"The MBTA has a very strict policy," Grabauskas said, noting that he fired an employee in January for using a phone.

Grabauskas, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to reveal any new details, including whether Edmonds was believed to be on the phone. But he said the speculation had "raised awareness."

Employees caught using a cellphone or another electronic device while operating a public transit vehicle are subject to suspensions of three days after a first offense, 10 days after a second offense, and then firing.

Human error has loomed larger as a possible factor in the crash as investigators have eliminated other factors, including problems with the track, the signals, visibility along the line, and the trolleys' brakes.