"We were very lucky": 14-year-old girl recovering from injury in Alewife station crash
CAMBRIDGE -- A 14-year-old is recovering from a minor injury she suffered when a car crashed into the Alewife MBTA Station garage on Saturday, sending a concrete barrier flying into the station's roof.
"I heard a very loud thunder, yea, just a very loud bang," the girl's father, Michael Lu said, "I see a lot of glass, like, little broken glasses on top of her hair, in her hair and in her clothes too. And she was saying that her hands hurt quite a lot."
Investigators said the driver intentionally drove into the side of the garage. The impact pushed a 10,000-pound concrete barrier from the garage onto the station's glass roof below. Glass and debris fell into the station's lobby.
Lu and his two kids were in the lobby at the time. His daughter now has a fractured finger.
"We are just thankful that we are very lucky because after the incident, we came up onto the ground floor, we saw this huge concrete slab lying on top of the ceiling," Lu said.
Police said the driver was found unconscious in his car.
"This could have been an absolutely horrific event," said Interim MBTA General Manager Jeff Gonneville at a briefing on Monday.
Gonneville said no date has been set for the reopening of the station. In the meantime, shuttle buses are running every five to 10 minutes from Alewife to Davis.
The garage is expected to reopen midweek. To do so, the MBTA needs to ensure "safe and accessible paths of travel for all of our customers." This means the elevator needs to be functioning, but not allow people off in the lobby or on the fifth floor of the parking garage, where the crash occurred.
The fifth floor of the garage will remain closed under proper barriers are put up.
Drivers should find alternative parking but if your car is parked there, you will be able to retrieve it.
"As it relates to reopening the mezzanine itself, there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. As I'm sure many of you can see, we are still in the mode of cleaning up and securing the site itself. Once the site is secured, structural engineers will be going in, " said Gonneville.
Engineers will determine the best path to move forward with temporary roofing and then when it is safe to reopen.
Gonneville said the repairs will cost the MBTA at least a million dollars.
Most Monday commuters were taking the shuttle buses in stride.
"I rely on the train every day so having this is a delay for me, I don't even know if I'm going to make it in time for my class. But it's actually nice that they have this, that it's convenient to use, it's very easy," said one woman walking to a bus.
"Annoyed. I'm trying to get to work," another said.
For further updates, check the MBTA's website.
