An MBTA commuter train crashed into a truck at a Canton crossing, leaving one passenger injured and causing significant delays for commuters, while officials and witnesses dispute who was at fault for the accident.
At a Glance
- An MBTA commuter train collided with a truck at a crossing in Canton on Wednesday afternoon, pushing the vehicle until it wedged against a fence
- One train passenger sustained minor injuries and was hospitalized, while the truck driver escaped unharmed
- Keolis claims the truck driver stopped on the tracks and that crossing warnings functioned properly, but a witness says the driver was trapped by crossing arms
- Train services on the Stoughton Line were disrupted until 10 p.m., with shuttle buses implemented for affected passengers
- The collision prompted street closures in the area with “unknown timeframe on reopening” according to local police
Another Government-Run Transit Disaster
Just when you thought our tax dollars might actually buy something that works, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority proves us wrong again. Wednesday’s crash between an MBTA commuter train and a semi-truck in Canton is yet another example of government inefficiency causing real-world chaos. The collision occurred around 1:40 p.m. on the Stoughton Line, bringing commuter service to a grinding halt and leaving Pine Street closed for hours. What’s most interesting here is how quickly officials rushed to blame the truck driver while a witness tells a completely different story.
Predictably, the MBTA’s operating company Keolis wasted no time deflecting responsibility. According to their version of events, the truck driver inexplicably stopped on the tracks while all their systems worked flawlessly. Meanwhile, the collision was serious enough that the train pushed the truck down the tracks until it became wedged against a fence. One train passenger suffered injuries requiring hospitalization, while countless others faced hours of delays as the Stoughton Line service was disrupted until nearly 10 p.m.
Conflicting Accounts Raise Questions
While transportation officials were quick to assign blame, eyewitness accounts tell a different story that the government transportation authority would rather you not hear. One witness, Adam McCulloch, offered a compelling alternative to the official narrative that raises serious questions about the safety and design of these rail crossings. His account suggests the truck driver became trapped in a no-win situation created by the crossing’s design and timing system, raising legitimate questions about whether these crossings adequately accommodate large vehicles.
“[The driver] was driving very cautiously for a huge truck around these parts, these small streets. All of a sudden the truck was going across the tracks and ‘ding, ding, ding!’ the posts came down. He was literally stuck. There was nothing he could do. He had seconds to react, I imagine.” – Adam McCulloch
The contradiction couldn’t be clearer. Keolis insists “there is no issue with this crossing” while an eyewitness describes a truck driver who had no chance to escape the trap created by the crossing arms. It’s the classic tale of government agencies refusing to acknowledge potential flaws in their systems. The truck driver managed to flee his vehicle seconds before impact, escaping with his life but likely facing blame from transit authorities who appear ready to absolve themselves of any responsibility.
Commuters Left Stranded
While officials sorted out blame, regular working Americans were left to deal with the consequences. Several trains on the Stoughton Line came to a complete stop, with at least one being canceled outright. The MBTA scrambled to arrange shuttle buses between Canton Center station and Stoughton, but the damage to commuters’ schedules was already done. Local police closed Pine Street with what they described as an “unknown timeframe on reopening,” creating even more traffic headaches for area residents.
“There is no issue with this crossing. The driver of the truck stopped on the tracks for unknown reasons. The crossing warning system was functioning as intended.” – Keolis
The Canton police posted photos of the collision on Facebook around 2 p.m., documenting yet another failure of government-run transportation. What’s particularly frustrating is how quick officials were to declare their systems infallible while offering no explanation for why a professional truck driver would deliberately stop on active train tracks. This isn’t just about one accident—it’s about accountability and whether these crossings are truly designed with safety as the priority, or if they’re just another example of government infrastructure cutting corners at the expense of public safety.
