Train Didn't Stop for Heart Attack Victim

Aug. 1 -- Passengers and transit officials in Massachusetts are asking why a conductor failed to stop his train after a passenger suffered a heart attack, and they are wondering whether the stricken commuter could have been saved if the conductor had listened to passengers' pleas to get him immediate medical help.

James Allen, 61, of Wellesley, Mass., began having the heart attack when the Framingham-to-Boston train arrived at its Auburndale stop. The crew was told of the emergency, and a distress call went out at 8:53 a.m Tuesday. But the train conductor continued his regular stops, meaning Allen waited for medical help until 9:10 a.m, when the train reached Boston's Back Bay station.

Paramedics were waiting at Back Bay station, and Allen was taken to Boston Medical Center. He died that morning in the emergency room.

Passengers Told Train Had to Make Stops

Although the crew knew of the emergency, train made its regular stops at West Newton and Newtonville before arriving at Back Bay. Passengers reportedly were told there was no access for medical teams at the other stations.

An assistant conductor on the train, Susan Bergeron, said she performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Allen, and that it would have been dangerous for the conductor to rush through stations without stopping.

"The No. 1 priority in everybody's mind is to save that man andhelp him," Bergeron said. "Everybody did their part, what they did best, to try to help that man."

Passenger Carolina Pearson said passengers on the train implored the crew to do whatever they could to get Allen help. The passengers were told that medical personnel couldn't get down the stairs at the two stops before the end of the line, she said.

"A guy two rows in front of him [Allen] said it was really disturbing," Pearson said. "They couldn't get anyone to stop the train."

Conductor on Administrative Leave

Amtrak, which provides crew to operate the train for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, has placed the conductor on administrative leave. The conductor's name was not released.