UPDATE: Man hit by train on tracks at Hathaway Street

Jul 13, 2019

A 41-year-old Wareham man was airlifted to a Boston hospital Saturday night after being hit by a train near Hathaway Street.

The man, whose name has not been released, was apparently walking on the tracks when the approach of the CapeFLYER train took him by surprise at about 8 p.m.

Officials released no information about his injuries or condition, but a family friend described him on Tuesday as “fighting for his life.”

Wareham Police, EMS, and Fire responded to the scene along with Massachusetts Transit Police and State Police. The victim was transported to Tobey Hospital, where he was stabilized in the emergency room before being airlifted to a Boston hospital.

A statement released by Wareham Police described the accident as occurring at about 8 p.m. on Saturday, while a Transit Police release said the incident happened at 8:30 and noted that the victim was “trespassing” by walking on the tracks.

Chief John Walcek said Massachusetts Transit Police are handling the investigation. As Wareham Week went to press, Transit Police had released no information nor responded to any of multiple requests for comment.

Much of what can be learned about the accident comes from a state legislator who was on the train and from a family friend of the victim who asked to remain anonymous.

State Senator Will Brownsberger of Belmont, a passenger on the Hyannis-to-Boston CapeFLYER, tweeted that, when the train abruptly stopped in Wareham, passengers remained on board. At about 8:30 p.m., he retweeted a breaking news alert, adding that the passengers on the train had not been given any information about why the train was stopped. Passengers were informed that a “trespasser” was hit at about 9 p.m. At around 10:15, a second train arrived to pick up the passengers to allow them to continue on to Boston.

The victim’s family friend provided the following account of what happened:

The 41-year-old man was sober and walking home from work, using the train tracks as a path as he has done for much of his life. As the train approached, he fell and the train went over his body, severing a leg.

Transported first to Tobey Hospital then airlifted to Boston, he has since been in and out of surgery “fighting for his life.”

The friend noted that the victim and his family would like to thank the first responders who saved his life.

Saturday’s was the second train accident in Wareham within the past 12 months. In November, 33-year-old Melissa Gaudette and longtime partner 36-year-old Edwin Benitez-Figeuroa were killed when struck by “The Train to Christmas Town” is a wooded area off Minot Avenue.