WILMINGTON, Mass. — A fatal train collision occurred on January 21, 2022, involving MBTA Commuter Rail Train 218 and a vehicle at Middlesex Avenue.
The incident claimed the life of 68-year-old Roberta Sausville Devine, who was struck while crossing the tracks. The collision, which occurred around 5:52 p.m., was the first train of the day not scheduled to stop at North Wilmington Station. The Wilmington Fire Department pronounced Devine dead approximately 10 minutes later.
Authorities reported that a failure in the safety system, which should have activated warning signals, contributed to the crash. According to an investigation, a signal maintainer conducted a routine shunt test that inadvertently disabled the safety system at the crossing.
Twenty-one minutes after the test, Train 218 approached the crossing, where the gates did not lower. The train's engineer issued multiple emergency calls reporting the failure.
The Middlesex District Attorney's Office initiated a criminal investigation, which revealed that the signal maintainer had not received proper training for the XP4 system, central to the crossing's safety mechanism. Authorities later found Keolis, the company responsible for operations, had not provided adequate training on the XP4 system.
In a civil suit brought by Devine's family, Keolis acknowledged discrepancies in training records. The company subsequently settled the lawsuit. The MBTA announced they contributed $1.5 million to the settlement and has since reinforced training protocols and safety measures for signal maintainers.
The investigation into the crash has concluded without criminal charges filed against the signal maintainer, emphasizing the need for improved safety training and protocols.