Harvard PhD student hit by falling metal box at T station, suing MBTA

By Web staff

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Joycelyn Johnson, the woman who was hit by a falling utility box at the Harvard T station earlier this month, is now suing the MBTA.

Johnson, a 28-year-old PhD student at Harvard University, was hurt when the metal box fell from a column at the station in Cambridge on May 1. The MBTA said she went to the hospital with minor injuries.

In announcing the lawsuit Wednesday, her attorney said Johnson ended up with “a detached clavicle from her shoulder that will require ongoing and long-term medical treatment.” Attorney Thomas Flaws said the injury also “impacted her rigorous academic schedule during a crucial time for students.”

“Without the use of both hands to the full extent that I normally should be able to utilize them, I can’t exactly do everyday experiments. As a PhD student, that’s probably the most important thing.” Johnson told WBZ-TV Wednesday while wearing a sling.

“Initially I didn’t know what happened to me because I didn’t know that structure was at the top of a pillar,” Johnson said, recounting the incident. “But once I saw the entirety of what that was and saw the utility box at the other side that I could have been standing under, I realized how much that could have affected me. I realized, immediately, that I could have died from that impact, if not be severely injured. I wouldn’t say I was nervous, I was just kind of scared.”

An MBTA investigation found metal support straps that secured the utility box to the column had corroded. A total of fourteen boxes were installed at three MBTA stations more than a decade ago, but had been obsolete for years. All have been removed.

“I’m honestly surprised that this is something that was allowed to maintain its presence on the T if it wasn’t useful. It doesn’t make sense that a city that’s this well-funded and has this ability to, I guess, ensure the safety of its citizens would allow something that could potentially become in disrepair and is such a heavy weight as over 200 pounds and it could impact citizens wouldn’t just remove it upon safety inspections.” Johnson told WBZ.

“That could have come down on my head, it could have come down on visiting families that are here to survey Harvard and understand if this is a place for their children to attend, it could have been anyone.”

“We are troubled by the ongoing issues at Harvard station and throughout the overall MBTA transit operation. With reasonable attention and maintenance, this incident would have been prevented,” Flaws said in a statement.

“We intend to find out exactly what is causing dangerous objects to repeatedly detach or fall from the ceiling at the Harvard station. We want to ensure no rider utilizing public transportation is ever injured in this manner again.”

The MBTA would not comment on the lawsuit.

“The MBTA’s top priority is delivering safe and reliable service. The MBTA deeply regrets that this incident occurred, and know that we continue to work every day to ensure safety for all,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday.

“I think the safety of the citizens should be their priority and not to cover up the incident and not to obscure the weight, the impact of this incident,” Johnson said.

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