Every day, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is used by more than 700,000 residents and commuters throughout the Greater Boston area. While public transportation offers convenience and efficiency, accidents involving the MBTA can and do occur. In 2022, following an increase in MBTA-related deaths and serious injuries, the FTA…
Nearly three-quarters (70%) of current and former MBTA riders have felt unsafe at least once or twice because of the poor condition of the system’s infrastructure, according to a survey by MassINC Polling Group. While the ranking varied by mode of transportation, most MBTA services did not get a passing…
Long concerned about the safety of the town’s railroad crossings, Alex Bezanson planned to prioritize the issue when he became the chairman of the Abington Board of Selectmen last year. Just two weeks later, a teenager walking home was tragically struck and killed by a train at the Birch Street…
In determining the cause of a 2021 Green Line crash that injured 27 people, federal investigators faulted a speeding train operator—as well as a missing safety feature they say would have prevented the accident. Two and a half years after the incident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a…
After a series of train derailments, fires, injury collisions, and fatal accidents, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has come under fire for what federal regulators called its “lax safety culture.” A “pattern of safety incidents” prompted the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to conduct a months-long investigation into Boston’s rail…
We all know the dangers of texting and driving, yet more and more American drivers are failing to take them seriously. In fact, a recent AAA study revealed that distracted driving is now the number one danger on American roadways, followed by aggressive driving, and drunk/drugged driving. Many experts blame…
About 1,000 people are killed in train-related accidents each year and thousands more suffer non-fatal injuries. Despite these shocking statistics, train travel is generally quite safe. But concerns over recent – and tragic – accidents involving Amtrak have authorities questioning the railroad company’s safety culture. In 2016, an Amtrak passenger…
Last week, three people were killed and dozens more were injured when Amtrak’s 501 Cascades high-speed locomotive derailed on its inaugural journey between Seattle and Portland. Excessive speed was a factor. More disturbing, however, was the fact that the automatic braking system (ABS) was installed on the tracks and train,…
Last week, the family of a child who was severely injured at birth was awarded a $42 million verdict for future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost earning capacity, among other damages. A Pennsylvania judge awarded the multi-million dollar verdict due to the extent of the child’s injuries and…
Operating within a metropolitan area unparalleled by its surroundings, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is responsible for transporting millions of people with its trains, buses and ferries every day. Anyone who has ever spent serious time in Boston or its surrounding area has an almost intimate knowledge of “The…