BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has settled with the estate of a 39-year-old man killed in 2022 when he was dragged by a Red Line train after his arm became stuck in a railcar’s closing doors.
The Boston Globe reports that the MBTA settled a negligence lawsuit over the death of Robinson Lalin for $5 million. Lalin’s two children and a nephew will receive portions of the settlement, according to court records.
Lalin was killed in an April 10, 2022, incident when he was dragged more than 100 feet as the Red Line train left the Broadway station, until he was dragged into a wall at the end of the station platform. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation determined a system designed to keep the train from operating when a door is open or obstructed had failed because of a short circuit [see “Short circuit on door system …,” Trains News Wire, June 28, 2023].
The incident played a part in the Federal Transit Administration’s decision to inspect MBTA operations. That, in turn, led to a series of safety directives issued by the agency in June and August of that year [see “Federal directives order MBTA …,” News Wire, June 15, 2022, and “DOT agency issues safety directives …,” News Wire, Aug. 31, 2022]. The MBTA is still addressing some of those directives.
