NTSB: Faulty Door Control System May Be Cause Of Red Line Dragging That Killed Robinson Lalin

BOSTON (CBS) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Monday that a faulty door control system may have been the cause of the Red Line dragging that killed Robinson Lalin last month.

Lalin was getting off the train at the Broadway Station on April 10 when his arm got stuck in the door of the inbound train as it pulled away from the platform.

A preliminary report released on Monday by the NTSB said Lalin was dragged about 105 feet along the platform and onto the surface below near the tracks.

NTSB investigators said MBTA trains are designed with safety features that prevent them from moving when passenger doors are obstructed. The train car involved in the accident was inspected and a faulty door control system was found, which allowed the train to move with Lalin stuck in the door.

"He was literally slaughtered to death, my uncle did not deserve that," said Kelvin Lalin, Robinson's nephew. "We're grieving, my family is honestly devastated. And we're even more devastated after reading the report."

Lalin's family has been holding a vigil outside the Broadway Station calling for justice.

"This was a negligent situation it could have been avoided," said Kelvin Lalin.

In a statement, the MBTA said a short circuit in the car's wiring caused the door control system to fail.

The MBTA inspected other cars in its fleet but did not find any other similar faults, the NTSB said.

"The MBTA stresses that investigations by the NTSB, Transit Police and the MBTA Safety Department are ongoing, and if further steps are warranted to enhance safety, then the MBTA will certainly take such immediate and appropriate action," the T said in a statement. "MBTA personnel, who perform regularly scheduled preventative maintenance, are supplementing existing door inspection protocols with additional testing to prevent this issue from occurring again."

The NTSB said the full investigation, which will include further investigation into the MBTA's train equipment and operating procedures, could take up to a year.