Passenger Trains > Commuter Rail Accident: Salem, MA

Boston television stations have a developing story
about a commuter train injuring one elderly person.
Story first appeared around 5 pm. A car evidently
was hit by the locomotive. As of now, the stations
claim the car was on the tracks. The driver is a
senior citizen and was taken to Salem Hospital.
The driver has minor injuries. All train service
from Boston to Salem, beverly, Gloucester,
Rockport and Newburyport is affected.

TV news now reports that the accident occurred
around 5:30 pm with a Rockport bound train.
Police speculate the driver of the car got confused
and entered a tunnel. No passengers so far have
been injured. Shuttle bus service is in effect
between Lynn and Beverly.

Our local newspaper, The Salem News, reported
online at 7:46 pm that the driver of car died
after being taken to the hospital. Very sad.

Sad is right. I have relatives in that area and one is a senior citizen...:(

This is soooo strange -

go to Boston.com, the Boston Globe website, and under more news headlines, the first link is:

"No serious injuries as commuter train hits car in Salem"

But that link takes one to the story titled:

"Driver dies after collision with MA commuter train"

I guess death is no longer a serious injury in Massachusetts.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/11/03/no_serious_injuries_as_ma_commuter_train_hits_car/

I guess the Boston Globe corrected their error. Now this is the story:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/11/04/man_dies_in_collision_with_mbta_train/

MBTA commuter rail is unique compared to California.
The coaches are all single level.
Looks positively traditional compared to our tall gallery cars.
Cal-P

The south side has all the bi-levels. I think the MBTA owns about 75.

mp16 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A car evidently was hit by the locomotive. As of now, the
> stations claim the car was on the tracks.

Pretty startling claim, in light of the obvious evidence that the locomotive deliberately went off the tracks to search and destroy.

Please pardon my gallows humor--guess these things don't happen as often around there as they do elsewhere.

This mornings Salem News has a large color picture
of the accident in the tunnel. (http.//SalemNews.com)
The victim drove the car on the station platform and
then onto the tracks. The Boston Globe claims the
victim said he was at a casino in CT. earlier in the
day. The investigation continues today and an
effort will be made to determine why the driver took
the car about 100 feet into the tunnel. Full train
service was restored by 8 pm last night.

It does not sound like the death was the direct result of the collision. Perhaps a heart attack or some other cause. Given the disorientation reported by onlookers before he drove into the tunnel maybe something was already underway.

From salemnews.com

MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera said the man got out of the car on his own and was conscious and alert at the scene and at a hospital, where he talked with investigators.

Salem Deputy fire Chief Brian Harrington said Sullivan was sitting in the driver's seat of his car with his legs out of the car when he arrived. The air bags deployed in the car, but Harrington does not know if Sullivan was wearing his seat belt.