THE MBTA’S general manager and board of directors, who have come under fire for failing to acknowledge the deaths of Robinson Lalin and Peter Monsini, did so on Thursday in what at times was a fairly wooden manner.
A subcommittee of the board acknowledged the two deaths two weeks ago, but MBTA officials and the full board said nothing until Thursday.
T General Manager Steve Poftak focused his attention on Lalin, who died April 10 when he got his arm caught in a Red Line car door as the train was starting to leave Broadway Station in South Boston.
“This is absolutely a tragedy and one that is, as many of you know, there are several investigations ongoing which preclude me from providing additional comment,” Poftak said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is taking the lead in investigating Lalin’s death. The MBTA police and the transit authority’s safety department are also conducting investigations.
Betsy Taylor, the chair of the MBTA board, offered condolences on behalf of the full board. “I am confident that all board members join me in expressing deep regret that this gentleman died,” she said.
Taylor issued similar condolences in regard to Monsini of South Easton, who died March 26 when a portion of the Government Center Garage collapsed and he fell to his death on land just above Green and Orange Line tunnels.
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About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
“On behalf of the board, we indeed extend our condolences to this worthy individual who died,” Taylor said. “If construction is dangerous, transit is dangerous. We regret that the accident was not prevented. We respect the service of this individual and we will continue to work to make our MBTA as safe as possible.”
Poftak told the board that the T went to great lengths to verify the safety of the subway tunnels underneath the area where the garage collapsed. He said the contractor on the garage project will reimburse the T for its costs, including bus diversions around the affected area. A T spokesman said the final cost number has not been finalized yet but will amount to several hundred thousand dollars.
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