WILMINGTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Officials in Wilmington vowed to be persistent and relentless in their pursuit of answers after a fatal Commuter Rail crash Friday night.
Police responding to reports of a crash on Middlesex Avenue near the North Wilmington Station found an inbound Haverhill Line train had struck a car, officials said. The driver, 68-year-old Roberta Sausville Devine, of Wilmington, was pronounced dead at the scene.
MBTA officials said the railroad crossing gates did not come down on time and are pointing at “human error,” as the primary focus of their investigation, according to T General Manager Steve Poftak. He said a Keolis worker had been testing the safety system an hour before the crash and did not return the system to normal.
“Following the testing, our preliminary finding is that the safety system was not returned to its normal operating mode. This failure resulted in the crossing gates not coming down in a timely manner as the train approached Middlesex Avenue,” Poftak said in the statement. “Investigators have not found any defects nor any other problems with the various elements that comprise the infrastructure of the railroad crossing system.”
That worker has been placed on administrative leave.
“No one should have to worry about driving over a railroad track,” said Wilmington Selectwoman Lilia Maselli. “The light should stop, the arm should go down and we should go on with our day.”
Town officials discussed the tragedy on Monday.
“I can’t just say this is an unspeakable tragedy and move on from here,” said Selectwoman Judith O’Connell.
“It’s a tragedy, it’s horrific, and to hear its human error – you think it couldn’t get worse, but it does make it worse,” Maselli said.
MBTA crews said they tested the site again over the weekend and found no problems with the system. Despite this, town officials say they asked the MBTA to send a representative to area for the start of the week so commuters feel safe. They say no one came.
“I think the MBTA and Keolis have failed in their support of the community,” said Selectman Gary DePalma.
Wilmington Town manager Jeffrey Hull said residents want to be sure the crossing area is safe.
“People are shaken by this and have some measure of concern about the safety of crossing the tracks,” Hull said. “It’s incumbent on the MBTA to provide a level of assurance that crossing mechanisms are working appropriately.”
Family and friends of Sausville Devine said she was an avid singer who performed with the Ipswich River Community Chorus.
“It’s hard to believe that something so tragic happened to a woman who was just so beautiful and kind and just a major part of our community in a positive way,” said the choir’s artistic director and conductor, Johnny Nichols Jr.
She lost her husband nearly 10-years-ago and is survived by her two stepsons.
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