Tractor Trailer Causes MBTA Train Collision
On the April 9, a tractor-trailer was struck by an MBTA Commuter train in Canton, Massachusetts, at precisely 1:40 pm, taking out a utility pole and the wires behind it in the process. Luckily, nobody was killed, but one passenger on board the train was taken to the hospital as they had received some serious injuries.
The cause of the accident seemed like just poor timing for the truck involved. According to a witness who recorded the accident, “it seemed like the driver was taking the roads carefully when it got sandwiched between the gates when the train showed up and got stuck.”
The truck driver did not try to defend himself or place blame, he just said that “the gates just came down…What was I supposed to do?” For the residents of Canton, this is the third time that a collision between a road vehicle and a train occurred in a span of a few weeks, due to 600 trains running through that crossing per month.
The MBTA has warned its riders of the possible delays and cancellations on the Stoughton Commuter Rail Line, adding the line will temporarily originate and terminate at Canton Center. Shuttle buses would be transferring the passengers for the line until the crossing is safe to use once more.
As for the train involved, crews were able to move it, however, the wreckage remained wedged between the tracks and trees until it was duly removed in the night. Test trains were run through the location on Wednesday night before operations resumed as normal on Thursday. The driver had been cited for causing the accident, and hopefully, both he and other people would take extra care when going over railroad crossings.
