A delivery driver escaped moments before an MBTA Commuter Rail train struck his car after the vehicle apparently made a wrong turn and became stuck on railroad tracks in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
Cohasset Police said multiple 911 calls were received at approximately 12:23 a.m. reporting that a Greenbush Line train traveling toward Scituate had struck a vehicle at the North Main Street grade crossing.
Police officers and Cohasset firefighter/paramedics responded and found a heavily damaged 2016 Toyota Camry on the rail bed. The commuter train came to a stop just short of the Cohasset MBTA Commuter Rail Station.
Late-Night Wrong Turn
A preliminary investigation determined that the driver, identified by police as a 33-year-old man from Mansfield, had been delivering packages for an online delivery service when he apparently made a wrong turn onto the railroad tracks and became stuck.
With the train approaching, the driver recognized the danger, got out of the Camry and moved away from the tracks before the collision. He was not injured.
Around 15 passengers were aboard the train at the time, according to police, and no injuries were reported among either the passengers or the train crew.
The Camry was significantly damaged and declared a total loss, while North Main Street remained closed for more than two hours as Cohasset Police and MBTA Transit Police investigated and crews cleared the vehicle and debris from the tracks.
Police Chief: “This Could Very Easily Have Been a Fatal Incident”
Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley stressed how serious the situation could have become had the driver remained inside the stranded vehicle.
“This could very easily have been a fatal incident,” Quigley said.
He said the driver made the “critically important decision” to leave the vehicle and move away from the tracks rather than stay inside or attempt to free the Camry while the train was approaching.
“A vehicle can be replaced. A life cannot,” Quigley added. “We are extremely fortunate that no one was injured.”
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by the Cohasset Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and MBTA Transit Police.
Relief After Driver and Train Passengers Escape Injury
Despite the extensive damage to the Camry, the incident ended without reported injuries to the driver or anyone aboard the commuter train.
The outcome prompted relief among commenters, particularly given what could have happened had the driver remained inside his stranded vehicle.
“Glad no one got hurt,” one person wrote.
Police similarly emphasized that leaving the vehicle rather than trying to save it was the crucial decision once the driver realized a train was approaching.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by the Cohasset Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division and the MBTA Transit Police.