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19-Year-Old Dies After Falling Onto Third Rail While Trying to Help Woman at Forest Hills Station

Officials say the death appears accidental as investigators continue to probe the platform fall.

A person leaves the MBTA's Forest Hills stop, the southernmost station on the Orange Line. (Chris Van Buskirk/MBTA)
The accident happened Saturday afternoon at the Forest Hills MBTA station.
FILE - An older subway car, with spots of rust on the exterior shell, is a parked with lights on at the Orange Line's Wellington Station train yard, Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in Medford, Mass. Authorities say the 30-day shutdown of one of Boston’s four subway lines will make for more complicated commutes despite measures intended to ease the pain. Orange Line service will stop 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, and will not resume until 5 a.m. Sept. 19 so the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority can complete years' worth of track and signal replacement and maintenance in a month.( (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Overview

  • Two 19-year-olds were on the Forest Hills MBTA platform carrying Caribbean flags when the woman lost her balance and both fell into the track area, and the man landed on the electrified third rail and was pronounced dead.
  • MBTA Transit Police say foul play is not suspected and the incident is under investigation, and the woman was taken to a hospital with no public update on her condition.
  • Family members identified the victim in a GoFundMe as Frankey Wright and said he fell while trying to help his girlfriend, and the fundraiser has drawn donations to cover funeral costs.
  • A third rail is a live, electrified rail that can cause immediate fatal injuries on contact, which explains why falls into the right-of-way are often deadly.
  • The incident occurred the same day as Boston’s Caribbean Festival and Parade, prompting renewed scrutiny of crowd movement and transit safety at large public events as officials review procedures.