Another Texting Moron Accident: Dozens injured as Boston trolleys collide. Official: Operator tells cops he was using cell phone at time of crash.

On Sat, 9 May 2009 23:54:33 +0000 (UTC), Democrat Dishonesty At Work
> wrote:

>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30653462/
>
>BOSTON - A trolley rear-ended another trolley that was stopped between two
>underground stations in downtown Boston on Friday night, injuring about 50
>people. One of the operators 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.
>
>The 24-year-old operator of the moving trolley, who was the most seriously
>injured, admitted to police that he was sending text messages from his
>cell phone when the accident occurred, Massachusetts Bay Transportation
>Authority general manager Dan Grabauskas said.
>
>The MBTA has stepped up enforcement of the rule against cell phone use by
>operators following a trolley crash in Newton last May that killed the
>driver of a trolley that collided with another. Although there were
>reports the driver was using a cell phone just before the crash, an
>investigation ultimately determined there was no evidence she was using
>her phone.
>
>'Outrage'
>Grabauskas said the operator of the trolley that struck the parked trolley
>admitted to investigators who interviewed him in a hospital he saw the red
>light ahead of him as he was texting, but it was too late to stop.
>
>"I can tell you it's difficult to contain my outrage at hearing this,"
>Grabauskas said.
>
>Officials would not release the conductor's name, but MBTA spokesman Joe
>Pesaturo said he had been on the job for less than two years.
>
>Most of the victims suffered cuts or skeletal injuries, said John Gill,
>deputy superintendent of Boston EMS. Two people had chest pains.
>
>Some passengers had to be extracted from the trains, deputy fire chief
>Richard DiBenedetto said. Others were taken from the station on stretchers
>or backboards.
>
>Red signal
>The collision occurred at 7:18 p.m. between Park and Government Center
>stations. A westbound two-car trolley was stopped at a red signal, waiting
>to enter Park Station, when it was hit by another two-car trolley.
>
>The damage was limited to the front of the moving train and the rear of
>the train that was struck, Grabauskas said.
>
>An investigation will try to determine why the moving trolley did not
>stop. Grabauskas had no estimates on how fast it was traveling.
>
>Green Line service between the stations was shut down after the crash.

Why would they hire a 22 year old kid to run the trolley? (22 when he
was hired, 24 now).

Ashton Crusher wrote:
>
> Why would they hire a 22 year old kid to run the trolley? (22 when he
> was hired, 24 now).

Why wouldn't they? Is there any jurisdiction where 22-year-olds are not
considered adults?

Over here, there are several Transport Authorities that specifically recruit
university students to drive the late-night trains on weekends and to cover
their regular drivers' vacation times. Quite a few of the regular drivers
started their driving career that way.

Val

On May 9, 11:26*pm, Ashton Crusher > wrote:
> On Sat, 9 May 2009 23:54:33 +0000 (UTC), Democrat Dishonesty At Work
>
>
>
>
>
> > wrote:
> >http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30653462/
>
> >BOSTON - A trolley rear-ended another trolley that was stopped between two
> >underground stations in downtown Boston on Friday night, injuring about 50
> >people. One of the operators 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.
>
> >The 24-year-old operator of the moving trolley, who was the most seriously
> >injured, admitted to police that he was sending text messages from his
> >cell phone when the accident occurred, Massachusetts Bay Transportation
> >Authority general manager Dan Grabauskas said.
>
> >The MBTA has stepped up enforcement of the rule against cell phone use by
> >operators following a trolley crash in Newton last May that killed the
> >driver of a trolley that collided with another. Although there were
> >reports the driver was using a cell phone just before the crash, an
> >investigation ultimately determined there was no evidence she was using
> >her phone.
>
> >'Outrage'
> >Grabauskas said the operator of the trolley that struck the parked trolley
> >admitted to investigators who interviewed him in a hospital he saw the red
> >light ahead of him as he was texting, but it was too late to stop.
>
> >"I can tell you it's difficult to contain my outrage at hearing this,"
> >Grabauskas said.
>
> >Officials would not release the conductor's name, but MBTA spokesman Joe
> >Pesaturo said he had been on the job for less than two years.
>
> >Most of the victims suffered cuts or skeletal injuries, said John Gill,
> >deputy superintendent of Boston EMS. Two people had chest pains.
>
> >Some passengers had to be extracted from the trains, deputy fire chief
> >Richard DiBenedetto said. Others were taken from the station on stretchers
> >or backboards.
>
> >Red signal
> >The collision occurred at 7:18 p.m. between Park and Government Center
> >stations. A westbound two-car trolley was stopped at a red signal, waiting
> >to enter Park Station, when it was hit by another two-car trolley.
>
> >The damage was limited to the front of the moving train and the rear of
> >the train that was struck, Grabauskas said.
>
> >An investigation will try to determine why the moving trolley did not
> >stop. Grabauskas had no estimates on how fast it was traveling.
>
> >Green Line service between the stations was shut down after the crash.
>
> Why would they hire a 22 year old kid to run the trolley? *(22 when he
> was hired, 24 now). *- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

And just what is wrong with a 22 yoa driving anything? Lack of
experience? That doesn't work for any age at all as noone has
experience driving them until the do drive them.

It must give you the willies to know that there are 18yoas driving
M1A1 Abrams.

Harry K

harry k wrote:

> And just what is wrong with a 22 yoa driving anything? Lack of
> experience? That doesn't work for any age at all as noone has
> experience driving them until the do drive them.

As near as I can tell, people think anybody younger than Medicare age is
too young, after that, too old.

In general, if you want quick reaction times and such, you want young.

If you want methodical, analylitical, you want old.

In any case, you want them able to stay on task--which is not an ARS.

--
Requiescas in pace o email Two identifying characteristics
of System Administrators:
Ex turpi causa non oritur actio Infallibility, and the ability to
learn from their mistakes.
Eppure si rinfresca

ICBM Targeting Information:
http://tinyurl.com/4sqczs
http://tinyurl.com/7tp8ml

Scott in SoCal wrote:
> In message
> >,
> harry k > wrote:
>
>> It must give you the willies to know that there are 18yoas driving
>> M1A1 Abrams.
>
> With good reason:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vESIVemfG8

Shawn Timothy Nelson was 35 when he died at the end of that video.
--
Requiescas in pace o email Two identifying characteristics
of System Administrators:
Ex turpi causa non oritur actio Infallibility, and the ability to
learn from their mistakes.
Eppure si rinfresca

ICBM Targeting Information:
http://tinyurl.com/4sqczs
http://tinyurl.com/7tp8ml

On May 10, 2:26*am, Ashton Crusher > wrote:

>
> Why would they hire a 22 year old kid to run the trolley? *(22 when he
> was hired, 24 now).

Seems to me if the military can trust a 22 year old to pilot a multi-
million dollar fighter jet, the MBTA should be able to trust a 22 year
old to run a street car. This crash has noting to do with the
operator's age, it has everything to do with the operator's actions.

On May 10, 11:44*am, Scott in SoCal > wrote:
> In message >, Ashton
>
> Crusher > wrote:
> >Why would they hire a 22 year old kid to run the trolley?
>
> Same reason they'd give a 16-year-old kid a driver's license and let
> him deliver pizzas.

Or that the Army Corps of Engineers can trust 18-year-olds to handle
C4 and its fuseworks. Of course the training factor in the Army helps.

On May 10, 2:53*pm, Scott in SoCal > wrote:
> In message >, Larry Sheldon
>
> > wrote:
> >Scott in SoCal wrote:
> >> In message
> >> >,
> >> harry k > wrote:
>
> >>> It must give you the willies to know that there are 18yoas driving
> >>> M1A1 Abrams.
>
> >> With good reason:
>
> >>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vESIVemfG8
>
> >Shawn Timothy Nelson was 35 when he died at the end of that video.
>
> Imagine what someone less mature could have done.

That was in the military, where 35 is considered old.

Scott in SoCal wrote:

> In message
> >,
> roadman > wrote:
>
>>On May 10, 2:26 am, Ashton Crusher > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Why would they hire a 22 year old kid to run the trolley? (22 when he
>>> was hired, 24 now).
>>
>>Seems to me if the military can trust a 22 year old to pilot a multi-
>>million dollar fighter jet, the MBTA should be able to trust a 22 year
>>old to run a street car.
>
> If the streetcar motorman gets as much training as the military
> fighter pilot does, I'd agree with you.

And then there's the selection process...

--
Cheers, Bev
================================================== ==========
"To liberals, building a wall across the Mexican border is a
violation of the Voting Rights Act." -- Ann Coulter

> > If the streetcar motorman gets as much training as the military
> > fighter pilot does, I'd agree with you.
>
> And then there's the selection process...

Ah-yup. He or she is the fruit of a process that starts with smart,
motivated candidates, downselects them on various criteria, and
offers many opportunities to wash out if they don't want it badly
enough to do their things their way (and of course succeed in doing
them). It also becomes pretty obvious early on that failure to pay
attention is punished harshly and immediately.

They have accidents, of course, but there's a big big difference
between falling short of the mark (or just being unlucky) while doing
something known to be complicated, difficult, and dangerous, and
screwing up something simple because you weren't minding the store.

Which brings us back to these OMG NTHR TRN incidents. My theory
involves a blurring of the distinction between private and public
conduct. A special case of the latter is workplace conduct, and most
especially the high-risk, real-time, kinetic workplace. If you can't
pay attention to the task at hand and leave your cellphone in your
pocket while on the clock, there are certain things you don't need to
be doing, and these things prominently include working at the pointy
end of mass transit.

One man's opinion, worth what you paid if your ISP is inexpensive,
--Joe