ABINGTON, Mass. — A woman is dead after the SUV she was driving was struck by a commuter rail train near an MBTA station on the South Shore on Wednesday.
The fatal collision occurred on Centre Avenue in Abington, marking the fourth time that a pedestrian or vehicle has been struck by a train in the town since December.
Officers responding to the railroad crossing at Centre Avenue and Park Avenue around noon found the woman dead inside her vehicle, according to the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office. Her name hasn’t been released.
A spokesperson for Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the MBTA’s 14 commuter rail lines, said there were no mechanical faults on the train, the conductor was utilizing the train’s horn, and the train was operating below the 70-mile-per-hour speed limit.
The Keolis spokesperson also noted that the car drove through the gates.
Abington resident Jennifer Devito couldn’t believe what she witnessed.
“Shocking, shocking, I never witnessed something like this before,” Devito said. “The gates go down, and it’s like they painted things; there are warning signs. I honestly don’t understand how somebody doesn’t understand not to go through the gates.”
Fellow town resident Steve Burke said drivers in the area often try to beat the gates.
“A mangled car, knowing that someone tried to go around those gates again, which they try to do almost daily,” Burke said. “This time, this poor person did not make it. And it was chaos after that.”
The fatal collision shut down the area and train services for hours.
Two pedestrians, in two separate incidents, were hit and killed by the train in March. One of the victims was an off-duty Randolph police officer. In December, a minivan was struck by a train and dragged down the tracks.
Abington Town Manager Scott Lambiase said local officials are discussing better precautions to prevent future train incidents.
“We are working with the MBTA on permanent solutions to make all the crossings safer,” Lambiase said. “We are looking into physical changes, signage, warning upgrades, and education.”
Wednesday’s train strike remains under investigation.
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