Passenger dragged to his death on Boston subway because of faulty door, investigators say

A faulty door on the Boston subway was responsible for the death of a 39-year-old commuter last month, federal investigators have said.

Robinson Lalin, who was riding the Boston subway’s Red Line home on Sunday 12 April, was pulled 100ft along the platform of the Broadway station.

Authorities said he sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Monday, a preliminary report into the incident said investigators found “a fault in a local door control system that enabled the train to move with the door obstructed,” dragging Lalin along the platform.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), whose investigators were seen at the subway station immediately after the tragedy last month, also outlined details about their investigation in the report.

The NTSB said its “investigators examined and tested the railcar involved after the accident” as well as train equipment and security video. Observations of the subway and interviews were also carried out.

In a statement, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)  said a “short circuit” was identified in the train car by the NTSB and that no other train cars were affected.

“During rigorous testing, the problem with the incident car could not be duplicated in any of the other Red Line cars of the same make and model,” the transit authority said.

“The NTSB has confirmed the MBTA’s initial assessment of a short circuit in the car’s wiring that allowed the train to begin moving while Mr Lalin was attempting to exit through the closing doors,” it continued.

“I’m going to miss everything about him,” said a nephew, Kelvin Lalin, to CBS Boston last month. “He always lit up the room everywhere he went. He’s loved by everyone.”

The death came after other incidents on the MBTA, including a malfunctioning escalator that injured nine people in September, and a train car on the Green Line that rear-ended last July.

The transit authority has reportedly spent $8bn (£6.4bn) on infrastructure and vehicle investments over the past five years and almost doubled the size of its safety department in the past three years.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.