Amtrak Train Slams Into Car In Medford
MEDFORD (CBS) – An Amtrak train slammed into a car in Medford Thursday morning and the driver survived.
The Downeaster train from Portland, Maine was heading to North Station when it struck a sedan at the High Street crossing just after 8 a.m.
The car was destroyed.
The driver, 69-year old Arthur Brennan, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with what Transit Police called a "superficial injury."
The MBTA said he will be cited by police for failure to stop for a railroad crossing because "he maneuvered his vehicle around the crossing gate." The citation carries a $50 fine.
An official told WBZ-TV's Ken MacLeod it's believed Brennan went around the gate thinking it was an MBTA train that would stop at the station there, but he didn't realize it was an Amtrak train that wasn't stopping, until it was too late.
No one on the train was hurt.
The scene was cleared around 9:30 a.m.
Witnesses said Brennan lives in Medford, not far from the crossing. Officials say he has a North Conway, New Hampshire address and a New Hampshire registration and license plates.
