Just over a year has passed since the May 8 trolley crash that injured 62 passengers and caused an estimated $9 million in equipment damage. The T operator who ran through yellow and red lights as he was text messaging was dismissed by the MBTA and faces trial next October. In addition, the MBTA has disciplined 18 workers for using or carrying cell phones on the job as part of the text messaging ban that followed swiftly on the heels of the MBTA accident. Ten of those workers were fired.
In contrast to the MBTA’s quick reaction, the writer of a Boston Globe article points out that the Massachusetts House and Senate have been slower to pass a texting ban for Massachusetts drivers. The Senate is requiring that drivers age 75 and older undergo medical screenings to maintain their driver’s licenses. On the House side, the bill is hung up over a provision that mandate handsfree cell phones.
However, the House Speaker assured the writer that the bill will pass before the sessions ends at the end of July.
Source: 18 T operators punished under year-old texting ban, Boston Globe, May 7, 2010
Our Massachusetts traffic accident attorneys can answer your legal questions following a train, bus, or other accident.