Boston Area News

NEWTON (WBZ) ― Two above-ground MBTA trains collided on the Green Line near the Brae Burn Country Club in Newton Wednesday evening, trapping and killing a train operator, MBTA officials said.  Ten other people suffered minor injuries in the wreck.

The collision happened on Dorset Road around 6 p.m. on the D-Line between the Waban and Woodland stops.

The father of a 25-year-old MBTA train operator says his daughter, Terrese Edmonds, was the conductor of one of the trains involved.  Late Wednesday night, MBTA officials said the operator trapped inside the train for hours after the wreck died.

MBTA officials said an outbound commuter 2-car train stopped for a red light signal near Woodland Station and was hit from behind by a second outbound 2-car train.  The operator of the second train was trapped inside and emergency crews worked for hours Wednesday night to pull her from the wreckage.  

MBTA officials have not released the name of the female conductor.

WBZ spoke with Terry Jones at an area hospital, who said he believed it was his daughter who was trapped inside the train. Jones said Terrese Edmonds hadn't been heard from since the crash and that her mother was told it was her daughter who was trapped inside.

"She's not calling me back," Jones said. "It's killing me. I really want to hear from my daughter."

MBTA officials said the woman's body would be removed Wednesday night.

Jones told WBZ his daughter loved her job and she had been a conductor with the MBTA for six months.

One person was pulled from the train earlier in the evening and was airlifted to Boston Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital received nine injured passengers, two of which walked into the emergency room.  All of their injuries are said to be minor, and seven were treated and released by Wednesday night.  One patient was on the nearby golf course and suffered smoke inhalation when he went to help the passengers in the train wreck.

Three other train operators were among those injured. 

A spokesman for Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Brian O'Dea, said emergency crews at the hospital were prepared for the train victims.

"We plan for these kinds of disasters throughout the year," O'Dea said. "Our emergency department is fully staffed. Most of our medical staff is on. We call in people who may have left campus already, so given the time of day, people were still pretty close by."

Several ambulances and fire crews remained on scene for hours Wednesday night.  At least two choppers were called to the scene earlier in the evening and dozens of emergency personnel aided in the rescue.

Uninjured passengers were taken off the train and into an area away from the wreckage.

Bob Brodeur was a passenger on the first train and said he was about 15 to 20 feet away from the site of impact.

"The train was stopped at the time. I thought we were waiting for the track to clear ahead of us. The train was not moving. I remember because I was annoyed. I had a meeting to go to, and I was going to be late and then all of a sudden… Wham!" Brodeur said. "And everything broke loose. The chairs broke loose. I wound up on my butt about 4 seats forward. I lost my glasses, cap, briefcase… We walked to the front of our car… and then I noticed there was a fire to the right of the accident site. It looked like a brush fire ignited by the sparks from the accident. We all started walking along the tracks toward Woodland Station."

Damage to both trains was significant. 

The violent collision completely knocked one of the trains off its wheels.  Crews requested heavy rescue equipment from the Boston Fire Department.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the first train was stopped at a light, which all trains are required to stop at.  Pesaturo said it's unknown how fast the second train was going at the time of the wreck.

Green Line service on the D-Line was diverted to Waban Station.  Shuttle buses were running between Reservoir and Riverside Stations.

Neighbors near the crash site say their homes shook upon the impact.

The National Transportation Safety Board is in its early stages of an investigation into the collision.

A team of about 10 NTSB investigators, including seven from Washington, D.C. and three from other regional offices, arrived on scene Wednesday night and are expected to be there for several days.  Officials said the investigation could take 12 to 18 months.  The NTSB investigates about 12 rail crashes a year.

The investigation may lead to safety recommentations, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said. 

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