CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - Federal investigators were at the scene of Tuesday’s Green Line derailment Wednesday, combing through the site while commuters dealt with the ripple effects of the derailment.
One rider separately described the moment of impact and voiced frustration over how the MBTA handled the incident.
“People started screaming,” said train passenger Zhara Saifee. “It was extremely bumpy. It felt like up and down bumps.”
Several Green Line cars came off the track near Lechmere station Tuesday afternoon. Fifty people were on board the train at the time. MBTA officials said seven were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Roughly 24 hours later, the entire Green Line Extension remained shut down as the derailed train remained in place for investigators.
Saifee said passengers were thrown out of their seats as the train jumped the track.
“I was holding on for dear life,” she said.
One commuter on Tuesday told 7NEWS she saw two people with neck braces being loaded onto stretchers near the derailment site.
Saifee said she saw one woman with an injured hand. Another person next to her said her neck and head were hurt. Saifee said she had a bump on her upper thigh.
With smoke in the train, Saifee said she and another person held train doors open to help passengers escape.
“It was very clear people had inhaled smoke,” Saifee said. “There was smoke on people’s faces.”
SKY7-HD spotted investigators working around the damaged train on Wednesday.
Saifee shared an additional photo of part of a train door lying across the train tracks.
As passengers made their way to safety, Saifee and others on board the train said they were unclear where they were supposed to go and what they were supposed to do when they got off the train.
“This is happening again and they don’t have a correct response or adequate measures to make sure people are OK,” she said.
Less than two years after the full Green Line Extension first brought service to Medford, Gov. Maura Healey addressed Tuesday’s derailment and said the track did not appear to be to blame.
“When we came in as an administration, we had to redo the Green Line Extension because it wasn’t done correctly the first time,” she said. “We redid that and that rail is good.”
While investigators examined the aftermath of the derailment, Healey acknowledged the shock of what passengers went through.
“I can imagine the horror with that incident and I’m really sorry that people were injured,” she said.
The MBTA previously apologized to commuters, saying “We are committed to thoroughly investigating this matter to ensure this does not happen again.”
Though the cause of the derailment remained undetermined as of Wednesday afternoon, passenger Broderick Stanley said he heard the driver of the train say “It won’t turn” and sound panicked before the crash.
A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson early Wednesday afternoon said investigators would “begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the train cars and equipment involved.”
“NTSB will determine what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening, possibly through issuing safety recommendations,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson confirmed the investigation will include a review of records ranging from data recorders within the train that derailed, to witness interviews.
Asked about concerns about their response to the derailment, MBTA officials said the entire incident remained under investigation and deferred all questions to the NTSB.
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