Massachusetts

Emerson Journalism Professor Killed in Commuter Train Crash

Shumow was an "awesome" professor and adviser whose smile helped reassure his stressed out students that everything is going to be okay, one Emerson student said

An Emerson College professor has died after being hit by an MBTA Commuter Rail train in Beverly, Massachusetts, while riding his bicycle Tuesday morning.

Authorities said the victim was riding a bicycle when he was struck by an outbound train at Beverly Depot Station while riding on a pedestrian "cut-through" lane around 8:20 a.m.

The man was taken to an area hospital for emergency care where he later died. 

Emerson College identified the victim as associate professor Moses Shumow, who graduated from the school in 2001 and joined its journalism program this fall.

"We would like to express our deepest condolences to Professor Shumow's wife, Rose, his three children, and to his family, friends, colleagues, students, staff and others who mourn his loss," the school said in a statement.

Shumow was an "awesome" professor and adviser whose smile helped reassure his stressed out students that everything is going to be okay, said Angel Salcedo an Emerson student and a news director at WEBN, the college's student TV station.

"This is a tremendous loss, not just for the organization, but for all of us, for me specifically because I worked with him," Salcedo said. "I'm going to miss him a lot."

Shumow knew what he was doing and was someone students could look up to — a rare thing in journalism, according to Salcedo.

"In this industry, you rarely find people that are just genuinely good people, and Moses was a genuinely good person and it was refreshing," he said.

The incident caused delays on the Newbury/Rockport Line as police responded to the area. 

Three trains were canceled due to the activity: Train 162 from Newburyport and Trains 103 and 155 from North Station, according to the transportation agency.

Passengers on Rockport Train 103 were forced to deboard at Salem Station because of the response.

Commuters on Newburyport Line Train 160 experienced delays of more than an hour.

The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation by Transit Police. 

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