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New video shows falling equipment hitting woman inside Harvard Station
The utility box that fell reportedly has served no purpose since 2013.
On Monday afternoon, a woman sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital after a support brace fell on her inside Harvard Station. MBTA officials released a video of the incident and more information Tuesday.
Just after 4:30 p.m. Monday, a utility box that was attached to a column on a platform slid to the bottom of the column, an MBTA spokesperson said. As this happened, a brace that was supporting the box fell and hit a woman standing nearby.
The box fell because of corrosion on the straps that secured it to the column, a spokesperson told The Boston Globe.
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The box was initially installed as part of a 2011 pilot program that introduced sensors capable of detecting biological agents, the paper reported. This program was organized by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and funded by the Department of Homeland Security.
The boxes were installed at Harvard, Porter and Davis Stations. The pilot program ended in 2013, and they have served no purpose since then, the spokesperson told the Globe.
Phillip Eng, the MBTA’s new general manager, went to Harvard Station Monday to inspect the area where the box fell.
Eng ordered an inspection of support straps at all Red Line stations, and told workers to begin removing the remaining thirteen boxes at Harvard, Porter, and Davis.
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More inspections were also ordered along the Orange, Blue, and Green Lines.
Earlier this year, a similar incident occurred close by when an aluminum ceiling panel fell and nearly hit a woman inside Harvard Station. The pane weighed an estimated 20 to 25 pounds and fell about 10 feet, stopping a passenger in her tracks.
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