Victim in deadly weekend accident on MBTA Red Line identified as Boston man

BOSTON — Authorities said a Boston man died after he got his arm caught in the door of a Red Line train as it left the Broadway MBTA Station.

Emergency crews were called to the scene at the Broadway Station around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

On Monday afternoon, Transit Police identified the victim as Robinson Lalin, 39, of Boston. Lalin’s family tells Boston 25 they are struggling to understand how this could have happened.

“He was trying to catch the train from what we were told his arm got stuck in the train and he never made it in the train, just his arm,” said Lalin’s nephew Kelvin Lalin. “The door shut on his arm.”

“From my experience taking the train, they always check to see if it’s all clear before they can go,” said Kelvin Lalin. “I’m suggesting the guy wanted to go home, the conductor wanted to go home, so I guess he didn’t do his job correctly and didn’t check and ended up killing a man and we’re all devastated. It’s very unfortunate.”

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Lalin got his arm stuck in the doorway of an inbound train and was dragged a short distance. He died as a result of the injuries he sustained.

“He was beloved, He has friends, He has family - kids,” said Kelvin Lalin. “He has people coming from all over the place because we’re all devastated. We can’t even see him. His kids can’t see him. It’s going to have to be a closed casket.”

The National Transportation Board is now part of the investigation.

An operator’s responsibilities include “...checking platform mirrors and sticking his/her head out of the operator cab’s window (platform side) and making sure the doors are free and clear of any obstructions before departing the platform,” according to MBTA spokesman, Joe Pesaturo.

Pesaturo says Red Line trains are equipped with “sensitive edges.”

The American Public Transportation Association says sensitive edge technology is designed to detect passengers or objects obstructing the path of a door, and automatically re-open doors for increased passenger protection

In an earlier statement, the MBTA said, “as MBTA Transit Police detectives work to establish the facts, the investigation will include, but not be limited to, collecting statements from witnesses, reviewing any images captured by cameras, and examining vehicle maintenance and inspections records. The NTSB has been notified of the incident and is assisting.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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