NTSB: Mass. trolley operator ignored red warning sign before ‘08 crash that killed her, hurt 7

October 14th, 2009 NTSB to review crash of organ transplant planeWASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is set to determine the cause of a 2007 crash that killed six people when their plane slammed into Lake Michigan off Wisconsin's coast. The NTSB planned to discuss the crash on Wednesday.

July 22nd, 2009 NTSB: Human error eyed as cause of SF train crashSAN FRANCISCO — Federal investigators say they are focusing on human error as the cause of a light-rail train crash in San Francisco that injured dozens of people after finding no indication of mechanical or systems failures. The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday the operator of the San Francisco Municipal Railway train in Saturday's collision told investigators he blacked out before the crash.

July 21st, 2009 2 injured women sue over Boston trolley crashBOSTON — Two women injured when a Boston subway train struck the rear of another trolley have sued the transit agency and the train operator. A lawyer for Rebecca Bishop says the Lynn woman fractured her pelvis in the May 8 crash.

July 20th, 2009 Rail operator's actions questioned in Calif. crashSAN FRANCISCO — Federal investigators are trying to find out why the operator of a San Francisco light-rail that crashed into a parked train and injured dozens of passengers had turned off the automatic controls moments before the collision.

July 20th, 2009 Boston trolley driver pleads not guilty in crashBOSTON — The former Boston subway operator who authorities say was texting during a crash that injured more than 60 people has pleaded not guilty in the case. Aiden Quinn was arraigned Monday in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of gross negligence by a person in control of a train.

July 20th, 2009 Union: SF train operator blacked out before crashSAN FRANCISCO — A light-rail operator blacked out just before his train crashed into a parked train, injuring dozens of passengers, the president of San Francisco's transit workers union said Monday. Union president Irwin Lum told The Associated Press a "medical condition" was to blame for the driver's loss of consciousness.

July 14th, 2009 NTSB: Fatal Boston trolley crash preventableWASHINGTON — Investigators said Tuesday a fatal Boston trolley crash in May 2008 could have been prevented if an automated train control system had been in place. Trolley operator Terrese Edmonds, 24, died after her train sped through a red stop signal and rammed another in a crash in suburban Newton, Mass., that also injured seven passengers on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line.

July 14th, 2009 Sleep disorder likely factor in trolley crashWASHINGTON — A federal safety panel said Tuesday that the trolley operator who died after her train rammed another trolley in a Boston crash last year had ignored a red stop signal, likely because she suffered from an undiagnosed sleep disorder that caused her to briefly fall asleep. The finding came in the National Transportation Safety Board's final report on the May 2008 collision in suburban Newton, Mass.

July 1st, 2009 NTSB: DC train signal failed before crashWASHINGTON — Investigators say equipment that is supposed to detect stopped trains failed periodically in the days leading up to a deadly Metro transit train crash in Washington, D.C. Nine people were killed and more than 70 injured June 22 when a train slammed into another train stopped on tracks.

June 23rd, 2009 Recent commuter train accidents in the USRecent commuter train accidents in the United States: —June 4, 2009: A light rail train and a city bus collide in downtown Phoenix, slightly injuring several passengers. —May 8, 2009: A trolley rear-ends another trolley that is stopped between two underground stations in downtown Boston, injuring about 50 people.

May 13th, 2009 Mass. transit authority banning driver cell phonesBOSTON — Massachusetts transportation officials announced Wednesday they were immediately banning nearly all mass-transit drivers in Boston from using or even carrying cell phones or other personal digital assistants after a text-messaging trolley driver caused a crash last week that injured nearly 50 people. MBTA train, street car and bus drivers caught using the devices can be suspended for 30 days after the first offense, with a recommendation for discharge.

May 10th, 2009 No mechanical problems seen in Mass. trolley crashBOSTON — A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board says no mechanical problems have been found on a Boston train that crashed into another Friday, injuring about 50 people.

May 9th, 2009 Trolleys collide in Boston; 49 people hurtBOSTON — A trolley rear-ended another trolley that was stopped between two underground stations in downtown Boston on Friday night, injuring about 50 people, and one of the conductors told police he was texting at the time of the crash, officials said. About 100 people were evacuated, and 49 were taken to area hospitals, but officials said their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

May 9th, 2009 After crash, MA transit GM seeks operator cell banBOSTON — The head of the Boston-area transit authority says he'll ban all operators of trains and buses from even carrying a cell phone on board. That's after a conductor told police he was texting at the time of a trolley collison Friday.

May 9th, 2009 Trolleys collide in Boston; 46 people hurtBOSTON — A trolley rear-ended another trolley that was stopped between two underground stations in downtown Boston on Friday night, injuring about 50 people, and one of the conductors told police he was texting at the time of the crash, officials said. About 100 people were evacuated, and 46 were taken to area hospitals, but officials said their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.