Personal Injury Law

2 MBTA Workers Involved in Separate Massachusetts Train Accidents Test Positive for Substance Abuse

By Altman & Altman

A Massachusetts Transportation Bay Authority spokesperson says that two MBTA workers who were involved in separate Green Line train accidents over the last week tested positive for alcohol or drugs. Both employees have been suspended without pay until the formal process for firing them is concluded.

In one of the Massachusetts train accidents, seven people were taken to local hospitals after they complained of neck and head pain following a rear-end crash between two trolleys at Boylston Station last Friday. The 39-year-old operator of the trolley that rear-ended the other trolley tested positive for cocaine.

On Monday, a Boston College student who was wearing headphones while crossing the railroad tracks was struck by an MBTA train. Michael Cordo sustained facial lacerations and serious head injuries. Witnesses say that Cordo did not hear the train operator blow the horn. The 33-year-old rear-car operator tested positive for alcohol at a level above the MBTA?s .02% limit.

Although alcohol or drug use is not cited as the cause of either train crash, the fact that the two workers that were involved in the recent train accidents tested positive for substance use raises questions about how much substance abuse occurs among MBTA workers. Everyday, thousands of Massachusetts commuters ride in trains operated by MBTA employees who are entrusted with safely transporting them to their destinations.

Impaired Driving
It is dangerous to operate a car, train, bus, motorcycle, truck, or any other motor vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Drunk or drugged driving affects a driver?s reflexes and ability to think clearly and can increase the chances of a motor vehicle crash occurring. A Massachusetts train collision can result in serious personal injuries for hundreds of train passengers and other motorists and pedestrians.

2 at T may be fired in crashes, Boston.com, November 21, 2008

College student struck by Green Line train, BostonHerald.com, November 17, 2008

Trolley collision injures 7, delays Green Line, Boston.com, November 14, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Trolley Drivers Undergo Seven Weeks Of Training, WBTZ.com, May 29, 2008

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on November 21, 2008 (boomark / email).