T crash puts spotlight on hiring criteria
Training and age rule called into question
Last week's Green Line crash, the second in a year involving a 24-year-old operator, has renewed focus on the MBTA's training and hiring standards, which allow drivers as young as 18 to control a trolley.
"I think, at a minimum, it should be looked at," said Senator Mark C. Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat who serves on the Legislature's Transportation Committee. "The irony is, in some places you can't even rent a car if you're under 25."
Yesterday, local and federal officials continued to investigate Friday's crash and to evaluate possible criminal charges against Aiden Quinn, the operator who authorities said told them he was text messaging his girlfriend when he missed a red signal and rear-ended another trolley. The crash near Government Center Station sent nearly 50 people to the hospital with noncritical injuries and totaled three trolley cars.
Nearly a year ago, on May 28, 24-year-old Green Line operator Ther'rese Edmonds died after she sped through a red light and rear-ended the trolley in front of her in Newton, seriously injuring several passengers and triggering an investigation of the safety of the country's oldest subway line.
The Green Line is operated manually and has less input from dispatchers than the other three subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, making it the most vulnerable to human error.
The National Transportation Safety Board was expected to finish most of its physical testing at the crash site yesterday and was gathering documents, including mechanical records, said NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson.
He said that for a second day, Quinn did not show up at the MBTA and could not be interviewed by investigators. "We are still trying to make arrangements to do that, and we are hopeful to do that," Knudson said.
MBTA police interviewed Quinn at the hospital Friday night, according to a transportation official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Investigators also took possession of his cellphone that night, but are still waiting for legal authority to examine the sequence of his calls and text messages. Quinn, whom T officials said they intend to fire, declined to speak to investigators at his Attleboro home Saturday, the official said.
Quinn has not responded to reporters' phone messages.
Laurie Carter, Quinn's mother, said last night that she believed her son had contacted the NTSB and said he has every intention of meeting with investigators. He is still recovering from the accident, she said, and is not in the best condition to meet with anyone immediately.
She did not know whether Quinn's union is planning to provide legal counsel.
Carter declined to comment further because she did not want to influence the investigation but said her family supports Quinn.
"I am glad this has shed light on the texting and cellphone problem that is part of the youth culture," she said. "The upside to this tragic accident is that changes will be made."
MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas announced Saturday that he would draft the nation's toughest cellphone policy for a transit agency, forbidding all train and trolley operators to carry cellphones while operating a vehicle.
Steve MacDougall, president of the Boston Carmen's Union Local 589, said yesterday that he agrees in principle that a policy is necessary but wants the T to address "nuances" before he endorses a policy. Some drivers, for example, have a two-hour layover on their routes and would want access to their phones while off duty, he said.
Quinn, 24, joined the MBTA 22 months ago after attempting for three years to get a job through the transit agency's lottery, a random system designed to prevent bias in hiring.
Once selected, Quinn would have been required to provide a driving history that showed fewer than three moving violations in the past year, proof of age, and a high school degree or its equivalent. He would have also needed to pass a physical exam, a drug test, and a written exam meant to detect qualities such as dependability, drug avoidance, and interpersonal cooperation.
Quinn's driving history includes three speeding tickets between 2003 and 2007 and an accident in 2008, none of which would disqualify him. He also used a bad check to pay a $50 fine on one ticket, which he later resolved, according to records.
Quinn's driving records also show that he changed his gender classification from female to male last month. According to the official, he previously went by the name Georgia Quinn.
"Clearly, the fact that you've had two accidents in the past year that have caused the unfortunate death of one driver and significant injury [in the second crash], it raises some questions about whether we need to revamp the requirements," said Senator Steven A. Baddour, a Methuen Democrat who cochairs the Transportation Committee.
T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the MBTA has not seen a pattern of problems among younger drivers, but would try to learn from Friday's crash and evaluate the age requirement. He said only three part-time trolley operators, out of 458 part-time and full-time drivers, are under 21 and that the T's training program is longer and more thorough than many other transit agencies' programs.
Knudson said the federal review of the crash would include a look at the T's training and operator qualifications. The agency is still working on its investigation of last year's Green Line crash in Newton.
Globe correspondent Matt Collette and Milton J. Valencia of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com. 
