Two killed in horrific Woburn train accident
Published on January 10th, 2007
WOBURN, MA - Woburn's veteran police chief called the scene of Tuesday's fatal MBTA commuter rail crash "like a war zone" and one of the worst he has seen during his tenure in law enforcement.
"It was awful; just a mess, and there were all those helicopters flying around," said Woburn Police Chief Philip Mahoney, who has a military background. "There aren't too many things I can remember since I've been chief that have been this bad."
An inbound commuter rail train crashed into a track maintenance crew, killing two workers and seriously injuring two others, transportation officials said. Two other workers and about 10 passengers were treated for minor injuries.
The workers killed were identified as Christopher Macaulay, 30 of Brentwood, N.H., and James Zipps, 54, of Lowell, according to the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. (MBCR), where the workers were employed.
The company identified John Hickey, 50 and Edwin Olson, 55, both of Lowell, as the two more seriously injured workers.
Hickey was taken to Boston Medical Center by helicopter, where he was listed in critical condition as of Wednesday morning, according to a hospital spokesman.
Olson was apparently taken to Lahey Clinic, which did not release any information about his condition this morning.
The other two workers, who were not identified, were taken to Winchester Hospital.
The 10 injured passengers were taken to "area hospitals," according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. Their names were also not released.
The afternoon train was headed from Lowell to Boston with 43 passengers at about 1:45 p.m. when it struck a piece of track repair equipment head on, just south of the Salem Street bridge, roughly adjacent to the Woburn Concrete & Masonry Supply Warehouse off Hancock Street.
One worker was on the equipment and five others were nearby, Pesaturo said.
The MBCR is a transportation consortium hired by the MBTA in 2003 to manage and operate the commuter rail system. MBCR General Manager James F. O'Leary announced a five-day moratorium on all nonessential track work Tuesday night.
"MBCR is stunned and deeply saddened by today's horrific tragedy. Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of these workers," MBCR General Counsel Richard A. Davey Jr. said.
MBCR spokesman Scott Farmelant said the workers were using a piece of equipment called a "speed swing," which uses a hook to lift heavy rail ties. He said the crew had been replacing ties since about 9:45 a.m. as part of scheduled maintenance work.
Farmelant said other trains had passed through the area earlier in the day, but had been switched to other parallel tracks. For unknown reasons, the train that struck the equipment and crew was on the inbound track, where the crew was working, Farmelant said.
"This crew was apparently part of their normal operations and had been working there all day, without incident," said Mahoney. "For whatever reason, the train (that struck the piece of equipment) wasn't switched to the other track."
MBTA Transit Police and the National Transportation Safety Board are focusing on the mechanics of a switch and the actions of a dispatcher, transportation officials said.
Farmelant said the dispatcher responsible for setting the switch and monitoring the track has been placed on administrative leave.
Mahoney noted one member of the crew was acting as a flag man to warn the others, but there just wasn't enough time to do so.
"Those trains can travel at speeds up to 50 mph," said Mahoney. "I've walked that stretch of track and you really can't hear the train until it's right there."
The engine was in the back of the train, indicating that it may have been pushing the passenger cars, but Mahoney said he didn't think that was a factor in the crash.
"I don't know if it was being pushed or pulled," said the chief.
The speed swing was knocked off the tracks, and laid in a broken heap for several hours next to the train.
Nearly all of Woburn's on-duty police force went to the scene, along with rescue crews from the Woburn and Winchester fire departments and other emergency medical outlets.
MBTA police and investigators also went to the scene, along with a command unit from the Northeast Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council.
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