MBTA

Trolley Operator in Boston Green Line Crash Appears in Court

The crash occurred around 6 p.m. on July 30, when two trains on the Green Line collided on Commonwealth Avenue, injuring 27 aboard

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The train operator in the trolley crash on the MBTA Green Line in Boston that injured more than 20 people in July was allowed to leave court Wednesday following his arraignment with the stipulation that he only drives during the day for family business.

Owen Turner is charged with gross negligence of a person in control of a train and gross negligence of a person having care of a common carrier, police have said. He was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court in Brighton and is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 8.

Turner declined comment Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

He has been suspended without pay from the MBTA after the Green Line trolley crash in late July. The agency has said that it is taking steps to end his employment.

The Boston resident told police he had no memory of what happened before the crash, and told investigators that he thought he'd fallen asleep -- a day after saying he thought he hadn't fallen asleep, according to The Boston Globe, citing court documents.

The crash occurred around 6 p.m. on July 30, when two trains on the Green Line collided on Commonwealth Avenue, injuring 27 aboard, including four train operators.

The agency said it was taking steps to fire a trolley operator involved in a Green Line crash that left more than 20 people injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced in a preliminary crash report last month that the driver had put the trolley in "full-power position" before rear-ending the other vehicle.

In its preliminary report on the crash, the NTSB found that, "The striking train accelerated to a speed of 31 mph before colliding with the train ahead of it that was moving about 10 mph."

The NTSB said its investigation is still ongoing. Future investigative activity will focus on internal and external oversight, operational testing, crashworthiness of the equipment involved and employee fitness of duty.

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