MBTA Safety Under Review Following Red Line Dragging Death

BOSTON — In the wake of the death of an MBTA Red Line train passenger who got his arm caught in a subway door and was dragged at least 100 feet last month, federal transportation officials are reviewing MBTA safety measures.

The Federal Transit Administration told the Boston Globe they are "extremely concerned with the ongoing safety issues" and is beginning systemwide safety inspections.

Robinson Lalin, 39, of Dorchester, died on April 10 when his arm got stuck in the doorway of an inbound Red Line train at the Broadway Station in South Boston as he was exiting the car around 12:30 a.m. A report from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office found that he had been dragged at least 100 feet and suffered fatal injuries.

Last week, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said they found a fault in the local door control system that allowed the train to move with the doorway obstructed - something a safety feature the MBTA says should have prevented but didn't.

A letter from the FTA obtained by the Globe says they will "obtain critical data needed to establish MBTA's safety risk profile and provide a roadmap to building a robust safety culture."

According to the MBTA, the NTSB confirmed its initial assessment of a short circuit in the train car's wiring that allowed the train to begin moving while Lalin was attempting to exit through the closing doors.

An official from the MBTA told Patch they "support the FTA's review and are focused on making the system as safe as possible."

FTA said they will be on-site investigating and inspecting starting mid-May.

The MBTA also said they are stepping up their existing door inspection protocols and adding additional testing to prevent this from happening again.