Family of man killed on Red Line sues
The family of the man dragged to his death last April when his arm was stuck in a Red Line train filed suit against the MBTA alleging that the agency’s “carelessness and negligence” resulted in his death.
“Robinson Lalin died needlessly and tragically due to the negligence of the MBTA,” attorney Michael Mahoney told the Herald on behalf of the plaintiff’s legal team, which also includes Benjamin Zimmermann of Sugarman and Sugarman. “He left children and an extended family that loves and continues to mourn him.”
Lalin’s son Christopher Lalin and nephew Kelvin Lalin, as co-representatives of the estate, filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court. The suit calls for a jury trial for monetary damage relief — including funeral expenses.
Lalin, 39, was attempting to exit an inbound Red Line train at Broadway Station at around 12:30 a.m. on April 10, 2022, when his arm was stuck in a door, according to investigations previously covered by the Herald. The train left the station as he was stuck and he was dragged by his arm about 105 feet into the tunnel.
“Mr. Lalin’s body was damaged and dismembered, and he experienced great pain of body and anguish of mind resulting in conscious pain and suffering prior to his death,” the complaint states.
The operator of the train was first placed on paid administrative leave following the incident, according to previous Herald reporting, before being suspended without pay in late June “pending final disciplinary action.”
An MBTA spokesman on Wednesday told the Herald the operator “is no longer employed by the MBTA.”
“Mr. Lalin’s death was a tragedy, and the MBTA has extended its deepest condolences to his loved ones.
Because of the pending litigation, the MBTA will not be commenting on the complaint itself,” agency spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.
“The MBTA is committed to making safety and reliability improvements to the services it provides. MBTA vehicle maintenance personnel work tirelessly to keep the rapid transit fleet operating in a stateof-good-repair and regularly scheduled inspections of subway cars include the testing and maintenance of door components,” he continued.
A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found four major issues at the MBTA: control center staffing levels, the safety of train operations at yards, track maintenance and employee certifications.
At immediate fault for Lalin’s death, the investigation found, was “a fault in a local door control system that enabled the train to move with the door obstructed.” Lalin’s nephew told the Herald a week after Lalin’s death that witnesses told him that they tried to help Lalin to free his arm but that their efforts failed.
The MBTA says the train car and its components were inspected on March 27, 2022, two full weeks before the incident, and that those tests did not find the short circuit issue that caused the door to malfunction.
The lawsuit alleges negligence in the MBTA’s inspection, repair and monitoring duties in this fault but also on the part of the operator, which “negligently, wilfully (sic), wantonly, and/or recklessly failed to confirm the platform and subway doors were clear of passengers before pulling the train away from the station … in direct violation of the MBTA policies and procedures.”
“What happened to Robinson could happen to any T rider and It is the hope that this lawsuit can bring justice to his family and what happened to him and some much-needed accountability for the MBTA” Mahoney said. “It is the hope that lawsuits like this together with administration and leadership at the T may work to change that culture and make the T safe for everyone.”