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First Massachusetts Train Accident Lawsuit Against MBTA in Canton Runaway Train Crash is Filed

In Suffolk Superior Court in Massachusetts, three people who were injured on March 25 when a runaway freight train hit an MBTA commuter train in Canton, have filed a personal injury lawsuit against the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., CSX Transportation, and Cohenno Inc.

150 people were hurt in the accident that happened after a shipping depot allegedly neglected to secure a freight car on its property, causing it to escape from the yard, roll onto the Stoughton rail line, and strike the rush hour train.

Some 120 people had already filed claims against the MBTA, and this is the first personal injury lawsuit. The plaintiffs are Easton resident Vickie Beaulieu, Stoughton resident Jennifer Kimbrel, and Canton resident Mary Ellon Gleason.

The MBTA has already filed a lawsuit against CSX Transportation, the rail freight carrier that is accused of not properly securing the freight car and Cohenno Inc., the owner of the depot that was supposed to house the car.

All three plaintiffs of this Massachusetts train accident lawsuit were passengers on the commuter train. They say that they suffered “severe, grievous, and permanent injuries” and are accusing the defendants of negligence, carelessness, and recklessness.

Train accidents can result in serious personal injuries. Just last week, several passengers were injured and the MBTA train operator was killed when a commuter train rear-ended another. Federal investigators are now reporting that the operator, Terese Edmonds, may have been speeding before the Green Line train she was operating slammed into the other train.

Train sped before crash, NTSB says, Boston.com, June 1, 2008
Investigators Rule Out Track, Brake Problems In Train Crash, Courant.com, June 5, 2008
Related Web Resources:

MBTA Files Lawsuit Over Canton, Massachusetts Train Accident that Injured 150 and Caused Property Damage, Altman & Altman LLP

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

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