Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train collides with Bristol County delivery driver

A weekend collision took place between a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train and a Bristol County delivery driver.

According to police, at just before 12:30 a.m., Cohasset Police received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting that an MBTA Commuter Rail train on the Greenbush Line, traveling toward Scituate, had struck a motor vehicle at the North Main Street grade crossing.

Cohasset Police officers and Cohasset Firefighter/Paramedics responded and found a heavily damaged 2016 Toyota Camry on the rail bed. The commuter train came to a stop just short of the Cohasset MBTA Commuter Rail Station.

The preliminary investigation determined that the driver of the Camry, a 33-year-old Mansfield man who was delivering packages for an online delivery service, apparently made a wrong turn onto the railroad tracks and became stuck.

As the train approached, the driver recognized the danger and was able to exit the vehicle and move to safety before the collision. He was not injured.

Approximately 15 passengers were aboard the train at the time of the crash. No injuries were reported among the passengers or train crew.

The Camry sustained significant damage and was totaled.

North Main Street was closed for more than two hours while Cohasset Police and MBTA Transit Police investigated the crash and crews removed the vehicle and debris from the railroad tracks.

“This could very easily have been a fatal incident,” said Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley. “The driver made the critically important decision to get out of the vehicle and move away from the tracks rather than remain inside or attempt to free the car as the train approached. A vehicle can be replaced. A life cannot. We are extremely fortunate that no one was injured.”

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by the Cohasset Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and MBTA Transit Police.