Passenger who escaped Orange Line fire won't ride MBTA 'for a long time'
SOMERVILLE - A woman who had to climb out of a window to escape a burning Orange Line train over the Mystic River said she won't be riding the MBTA "for a long time."
Caitlin Kenney was one of about 200 riders who had to leave the train after it broke down on a bridge Thursday morning just before it was to arrive at the Assembly station in Somerville.
"It was definitely the most scared I've ever felt in my life," she told WBZ-TV Friday.
Cell phone video from inside the train after the fire broke out showed Kenney yelling "I'm scared," moments before she jumped out a window.
"I was getting shoved on the train. People were shoving each other trying to get out the window. It was absolute mayhem," she said. "I woke up this morning and I have huge bruises all up and down my legs."
Kenney said when passengers realized the train had caught fire they tried to exit through the doors but they wouldn't open. That's when people started kicking out the windows to escape.
"That fear, I don't wish that on anyone. That was panic," she told WBZ. "I actually had a lot of nightmares last night. I could not sleep."
The MBTA's preliminary investigation shows that a side panel on the car came in contact with the electrified third rail, igniting material under the train. General Manager Steve Poftak apologized to riders Thursday.
"A piece of metal getting loose, there's no way that could have not been prevented," Kenney said.
She's also upset that the T operators on board did not give them any updates or instructions, which added to the confusion.
"There was no talking, no communication," Kennedy said. "Nothing made sense in that situation, nothing made sense. I'm really angry and I will not be riding the train for a long time."
The incident is still under investigation and the MBTA says they'll be transparent with their findings. They acknowledged this situation is testing the public's trust and promised to take steps to prevent this from happening again.
