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MBTA train attendant fired after woman's handbag gets stuck in door

E-mail|Link|Comments () December 4, 2009 08:11 PM

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A Red Line subway train attendant was fired and the train operator was suspended for 10 days without pay after an incident last month in which a woman's handbag got stuck in the door of a subway car and she was pulled along the platform at South Station, MBTA officials said.

"When I was appointed acting general manager four months ago, I made it very clear that matters of safety will be my top priority for as long as I serve. The behavior of the train crew in this incident was inexcusable, and won't be tolerated," Acting MBTA General Manager William Mitchell said in a statement.

The attendant's primary responsibility is to ensure that the doorways are clear of people or objects, Mitchell said. "By taking this swift and decisive disciplinary action, we make it abundantly clear that customer safety is paramount at the MBTA," he said.

The incident happened when the woman was attempting to board a Braintree-bound train at about 12:35 a.m. on Nov. 6, T officials said. The woman ran along with her handbag to the end of the platform, falling down there, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. The video shows the train stopping halfway out of the station and someone walking back through the train to return the bag to the woman.

Disciplinary action was taken about a week later.

The names of the train crew members and the woman were not released.