Update: Keolis worker placed on leave after deadly MBTA commuter rail collision in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, Mass. — A signal worker for the company that oversees operations of the MBTA Commuter Rail was placed on leave Monday, after a woman was killed when the car she was driving was struck by a train Friday night.

The victim, Roberta Sausville, 68, of Wilmington, was crossing the tracks on Middlesex Ave. eastbound, near the North Wilmington MBTA station, at approximately 5:51 p.m., when the Haverhill Line Commuter Rail train hit her vehicle on the driver’s side, Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan said.

“That accident brought her approximately 40 to 50 yards inbound,” Sullivan said. “Tragically, as a result of that accident, the female has been pronounced deceased.”

Investigators with Transit Police, Wilmington Police, and MA State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office have found a preliminary cause of the accident.

Boston 25 News was told less than an hour before the accident occurred, a signal maintainer for Keolis was performing a regularly scheduled testing and preventative maintenance of the railroad crossing’s safety system.

On Monday, that signal worker was placed on administrative leave.

In a statement, Keolis, which operates the commuter rail for the MBTA said, “Keolis continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. The signal maintainer who performed testing of the Middlesex Avenue crossing in Wilmington on Friday has been removed from service and is on administrative leave while the investigation proceeds. Keolis is committed to working with investigators, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the MBTA to identify and address the circumstances of this heartbreaking accident.”

MBTA General Manager, Steve Poftak said “human error” is the primary focus of the investigation.

“Our preliminary finding is that the safety system was not returned to its normal operating mode. This failure resulted in the crossing gates not coming down in a timely manner as the train approached Middlesex Avenue,” said Poftak.

Poftak also says that investigators found there are no further problems with the infrastructure of the railroad crossing system.

Train passengers who were heading to Boston’s North Station said they initially didn’t realize anything was wrong. But suddenly, the conductor spoke over the PA system announcing there had been an incident and passengers would need to get off.

“We heard the horn blowing, and we didn’t hear anything,” said Gerald Robbins. “And then all of a sudden, we heard one of the conductors going, ‘Where’s the car? Where’s the car?’”

The MBTA provided a bus for stranded passengers, but others, many of whom were heading to Friday night’s Celtics game, opted for Ubers.

Nick Fletcher, who saw the bumper of the victim’s car as he exited the train, wasn’t sure of the details of the tragedy at the time but knew the outcome likely wasn’t good.

“It’s such a traumatic thing,” Fletcher said. “It’s hard to think about anything other than the families of those impacted.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2022 Cox Media Group