BOSTON – The National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday that a short circuit in a train door was to blame for the death of a man who was swept by an MBTA Red Line train last year.
Robinson Lalin, 39, of Boston, was killed when he got stuck in a Red Line door at Broadway Station and was dragged to his death on April 10, 2022.
“The probable cause of the passenger’s death was a short circuit in the passenger door interlock circuit on the accident carriageway that allowed propulsion on train 1034 with the door obstructed by a passenger, causing the passenger was dragged down the platform,” according to the statement. NTSB. “A short circuit, or short circuit, is an unwanted electrical connection between two conductors that causes an electrical current to bypass its intended path.”
In a statement to Boston 25, the MBTA said its own investigators also found a problem with the train door caused by a “short circuit.”
“The NTSB has confirmed the MBTA’s initial assessment of a short circuit in the car’s wiring that allowed the train to begin moving as Mr. Lalin attempted to exit through the closing doors,” said the T.
The T says no other similar problems were found on other Red Line trains.
“Immediately following the accident, door systems across the entire Red Line fleet were tested for this specific issue and MBTA staff found all components to be working as designed and did not identify any additional cases of the circuit problem experienced by the incident car,” according to the T. .
25 Investigates has reported on the security system that is the focus of the investigation.
Lalin’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
A complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court alleges that the train operator “negligently, willfully, willfully and/or recklessly failed to confirm that the subway platform and doors were clear of passengers before moving the train away from the station while dragging him to his death.”
At the time of the fatal incident, Lalin’s nephew, Kelvin Lalin, told Boston 25 News, “From my experience with the train, they always check to make sure everything is clear before they can leave. I’m suggesting that the boy he wanted to go home, the manager wanted to go home, so I guess he didn’t do his job properly and he didn’t check and he ended up killing a man and we’re all devastated. It’s very unfortunate.”
Lalin’s body was dismembered as he was dragged along the tracks, and he suffered “extreme bodily pain and mental anguish resulting in pain and suffering before death,” the complaint said.
The MBTA, in the complaint, is also accused of failing to improve subway cars and putting unsafe cars out of service. A subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board linked Lalin’s death to a “failure” in the train’s door.
The suit seeks financial compensation for medical and funeral expenses, lost wages and loss of earning capacity.
Robinson was the father of a boy and a girl, Christopher and Ariana.
Memorial held for the man killed in the red line accident
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