< Back to front page Text size – +

Source: Attleboro man was operator in trolley crash

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 9, 2009 07:07 PM

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

ATTLEBORO -- The trolley operator who officials believe was texting on his cellphone before a crash on the Green Line Friday night was a 24-year-old man from Attleboro, an official said.

The operator's name was Aiden Quinn, said an MBTA official who was briefed on the accident. MBTA payroll records listed Quinn as a "streetcar motorperson," with a 2008 gross pay of $30,006. No one answered the door at Quinn's home tonight.

MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said earlier today that the driver had been employed by the MBTA for about 22 months and had one incident on his employment record, a suspension for an attendance issue.

The crash Friday night on the Green Line near Government Center injured at least 49 people, though none of the injuries were life-threatening. Officials described a chaotic scene, with metal strewn about, passengers in disarray, and some people who had to be removed from under twisted metal using saws and excavation equipment.

The Globe reported today that officials believe the operator was text-messaging -- looking down at his phone -- and could not hit the brakes fast enough before rear-ending another trolley.

Amid the chaos, some people kept their cool and helped others, passengers said. In the wake of the crash, Grabauskas said he plans to forbid MBTA trolley, bus, and train operators from carrying cellphones on the job.