Most baseball fans over 50, especially Yankee fans, can still remember where they were on Thursday, August, 2, 1979, when they heard the news. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.A tale of Munson, Murcer and Uncle Angelo Posted: Aug| Author: SportsLifer | Filed under: Baseball, education, MLB, New York Yankees, Uncategorized | Tags: Angelo Patri, Bobby Murcer, Fitchburg Sentinel, Lou Piniella, Marty Appel, Thurman Munson | Leave a comment ©2022 Sentinel & Enterprise, Fitchburg, Mass. That fatal crash demonstrated that no matter how well prepared, flaws in the safety system - since corrected in this case - can circumvent the best-laid rescue procedures put in place and meticulously reviewed.īut it's still reassuring to know that a coordinated effort backed by a host of specifically trained emergency responders is on call for crisis situations like the one rehearsed on Sunday. Located in a quiet zone, no whistle blew warning her of an approaching train. 21, Roberta 'Robbi' Sausville Devine was driving across the Middlesex Avenue Railroad crossing in Wilmington when her car was hit by a train, killing her instantly.ĭue to human error, the crossing's gates didn't close. No injuries were reported, and buses took up the temporary slack until rail line got back on track. In June, a commuter train went off the tracks near Beverly's station, in what the MBTA called 'a low-speed upright derailment.' The drill ended about an hour after it began, with the passengers placed in a triage area, grouped by the varying levels of injuries, from the least critical to life-threatening.Īt the conclusion of the training exercise, McCabe said all the agencies involved will study the simulation to determine its effectiveness, and make any adjustments for future drills.įor the most part, the MBTA's commuter rail component has been spared the accidents and breakdowns that have vexed the T's subway and trolley system. 'It's all adds to the experience for the (emergency crews),' Cachecho said. Some passengers could be walked out of the train cars, while others were carried out on backboards.Īlex Cachecho, who served as a logistics coordinator during the drill, explained the passengers are briefed on what injuries to act out and what to say to emergency responders. The emergency crews rushed into action, establishing and executing a plan to remove those on board. Within moments, Lowell fire trucks and ambulances arrived on scene.

They go through the process, go through the procedures, and then they try it out in real time.'ĭuring the simulation, a conductor walked through the train cars, checking on the passengers, asking if anyone was hurt. There are several briefings they all attend. 'It's cross-organizational, so there's mutual aid,' McCabe explained. In addition to MBTA Railroad Operations and Transit Police, they included Keolis Commuter Services, CSX Transportation, Lowell Police Department, Trinity Ambulance, Lowell General Hospital, UMass Lowell, and the Lowell, Dracut, Tyngsboro and Littleton fire departments. To ensure the exercise mirrored actual conditions, an array of agencies participated in the drill. McCabe said several passengers - mostly volunteers from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy - portrayed people with various injuries, necessitating evacuations by emergency crews.

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