08 July 2009

UPDATE: MTA Light Rail Killed Two Teens On Track -- Operator Had No Clue!

SAME TRAIN STRUCK BOYS TWO TIMES
By A.F. James MacArthur Ph.A.L.

According to the Maryland Transit Administration, video from a southbound train show the boys walking on the tracks just before being struck around 2:55 PM. MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene said "with all of our light rail trains, there are front-mounted cameras, so we were able to pull the data from the recorders revealing the circumstances of this accident."

Police believe Connor Peterson and his stepbrother, Kyle Wankmiller, were hit by two MTA trains before a fare collector noticed their bodies laying on the track. As more details emerge about the accident that occurred near Lutherville in Baltimore County, there are questions that won't go away. Why didn't the driver of the train report striking two people? Did he/she ever stop? Was a horn or other audible warning sounded? Were brakes applied to make an attempt to stop or slow down?

According to Greene, "there are a number of factors that affect visibility, everything from lighting, speed, the direction, height, elevation, there's so many factors that go into that. So it's not that cut and dry to say, 'Why didn't you see or what did you see?'"

The Baltimore Spectator wants to know!


Time Line per MTA

  • 2:00 PM: the boys were walking on the tracks before the crash.
  • 2:55 PM: Northbound Train No. 1 struck both boys and the driver was unaware of it
  • 3:10 PM: Train No. 1 now southbound ran over the boys a second time

The MTA states the driver of the train has been pulled out of service and was drug tested and interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.

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