Federal transportation board said short circuit responsible for death of man dragged by Red Line train

BOSTON - The National Transportation Safety Board is confirming that faulty equipment caused the death of 39-year-old  Robinson Lalin in April 2022.

Lalin got his arm stuck in the door of an inbound Red Line train as it pulled away from the platform at the Broadway station in South Boston. He was dragged a short distance and was killed.   

View (left) and close-up (right) of the short circuit believed to be responsible for Robinson Lalin's death. National Transportation Safety Board

In its preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board noted that the trains are equipped with safety features to prevent them from moving when the doors are obstructed. It's this feature that short-circuited, the board said in its final report.

"We determined that the probable cause of the April 10, 2022, passenger fatality was a short circuit in the passenger door interlock circuit on the accident railcar that enabled propulsion on train 1034 with the door obstructed by a passenger, causing the passenger to be dragged along the platform," the report said.

Lalin's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the MBTA.

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