Text messaging to blame in Boston trolley collision

A MBTA trolley slammed into the back of another one in downtown Boston last night, injuring 100 and sending 49 to the hospital. In what MBTA officials called an outrage, the driver of the trolley that caused the crash admitted he had been texting his girlfriend at the time and didn’t see the red signal in front of him until it was too late. Thankfully none of the injuries were considered life threatening.

The 24 year old conductor will likely lose his job as MBTA policy states texting on the job is dismissible offense. Last September, a commuter train in California ran a red light and slammed into a freight train, killing 25 people including the engineer, who’s texting was blamed for the crash.

But the moving Green Line trolley that came from behind had enough force to jolt a second trolley parked at a red light about 100 feet into the tunnel toward the Park Street station. Both trolleys derailed and sustained significant damage at the point of impact.

I am from Boston and have spent countless hours on the T. There is just no way a train, bus or trolley can be operated safely while texting. None. The same goes for a car or truck. A recent Nationwide Insurance survey of 1,503 drivers found that almost 40 percent of those respondents from 16 to 30 years old said they text while driving. Where is the common sense? Please people, if you text while driving, STOP. It’s not worth risking your life or anyone else’s.

Read [Boston Globe]