The Boston trolley operator who rear ended another trolley while texting his girlfriend faces up to 3 years in prison. Aiden Quinn pleaded not guilty today to charges of gross negligence.
Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office used a statute that is 135 years old to charge Quinn criminally, gross negligence by a person in control of a train. The statute has been seldom , if ever, used in Massachusetts courts.
James L Sultan, Quinn's current attorney, says that Quinn's "life has been shattered" because he is facing up to three years in prison and he has been fired from his job.
"He's doing his best to face the situation," Sultan said.
Sultan also said, "I think they picked the wrong statute to prosecute this individual."
Hmmm...so what's the story here?
On May 8 Quinn was typing on his cellphone, without looking at the track, while the train he was operating traveled for almost 600 feet through a tunnel, at about 25 miles per hour, running a yellow and a red light. When he finally looked up, his trolley was 8 feet from the rear of another trolley stopped on the tracks.
The end result of his texting his sweetie on the job?
3 trolleys destroyed, 9 million dollars in damage and 62 people injured. None of the injuries were life threatening, but one 28-year-old woman suffered a broken pelvis and may not walk again. A 19-year-old Salem woman suffered a concussion and broken vertebrae. A woman 5 months pregnant was injured, although there doesn't seem to be any complications due to the accident.
Our view? Most people in this country have trouble operating anything motorized when they are paying attention. Most people have a hard enough time just texting, let alone texting while trying to operate a motorized vehicle.
Give him the three years.
"Hang 'em High" Fileunderi
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