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Operator, passengers hurt as trolley derails, hits another

The trolley derailment occurred between the Brigham Circle and Longwood Medical Area stops on the Green Line’s E branch.Colin Young/Globe Staff

A Green Line trolley derailed Monday afternoon, striking an empty trolley and sending the operator and a few passengers to the hospital with minor injuries, the MBTA said.

The derailment occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on the E Line between the Brigham Circle and Longwood Medical Area stops, said Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman.

Both trolleys were two-car trains and each had significant damage, Pesaturo said. “Preliminary investigations show that this was a case of human error,” Pesaturo said in a phone interview, adding that a switch was not in the proper position at a crossover section on the tracks, leading to the derailment. “It had nothing to do with the equipment or the vehicle.”

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About two dozen people were on board the outbound trolley and three were taken to a nearby hospital after reporting neck and back pain. The operator taken to the hospital was driving one of the cars on the trolley that struck the empty train, Pesaturo said.

“The outbound train is completely derailed; it’s going to take a lot of time to get it on the rails,” Pesaturo said.

Bus service was provided between Northeastern University and Heath Street for the remainder of the evening, he said.

Passengers can expect regular E line service on Tuesday morning, added Pesaturo.


Globe correspondent Melanie Dostis contributed to this report. Sarah N. Mattero can be reached at sarah.mattero@globe.com.