MBTA bus #80 wrecked by drunk bus driver

[ron_newman]

Last Friday evening at Medford St. and McGrath Highway, according to the Herald:

An allegedly boozed-up MBTA driver with nearly 30 years on the job and an open bottle of vodka in his pocket slammed a No. 80 bus into a car at a Somerville stoplight and is facing drunken-driving charges for the rush-hour wreck, according to police.
...
John McCarthy, 61, of Somerville was arrested Friday night and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and an open-container violation.

McCarthy could not stand up straight, had trouble speaking and reeked of booze, Transit Police said.

“I escorted Mr. McCarthy out of the driver’s seat and as he got out of the seat he started to stumble and had trouble maintaining his balance,” an officer wrote in the police report. “McCarthy’s speech was distinctly slurred and he could not answer my questions until I repeated the question multiple times.”

Comments

[mjrocks98.livejournal.com]

OMG, guess it's a good thing I missed that bus last night in Powderhouse. I wanted to take it to Broadway & Hinkley & had just missed it at a little after 6pm, at the time I was upset, now I'm relieved!

[ron_newman]

this was Friday night, not last night.

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

That driver looks a lot like the driver that blew by my stop on Broadway at roughly 50 mph, then told me to "take a fucking hike" when I caught up to the bus at a red light a couple of blocks down.

This happened about 3-4 years ago now, so I'm not entirely sure my memory is correct, but seeing the picture immediately sparked that memory, so maybe.

[kpht.livejournal.com]

I had an incident in the rain where a driver blew through a red light to turn right in front of me (I had the green) and when I honked (I wanted him to stop to avoid an accident) he flipped me off.

The worst part was that I reported the incident with all the information - time, place, bus plate #, and never got follow up. This was in Salem, so not the same dude, but it chaps my ass that these crappy drivers stay on the job. Guy didn't even get reprimanded for almost killing me (and I was 7 months pregnant at the time).

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

I had a similar incident a couple of years ago at Webster and Prospect in Cambridge. The bus totally ran the red light -- I mean, it wasn't even one of those "blow through the yellow and hope I make it" things, it was already red for the bus and green for me -- and the only reason it didn't plow right into me is because I happened to look left to make sure it was clear before taking my right turn onto Prospect. The MBTA did not respond to my report, either. Schmucks.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I've had the 106 and 108 buses BOTH make left-hand turns at Eastern and Main in Malden - from the "go straight" lane and run me off the road on two separate occasions.

Again, no follow through from the MBTA after reported.

Those same buses, along with every other number that leaves Malden Center Station and turns on to Main blow red lights so frequently I'd use all of my daytime minutes if I reported each one I saw. >: \

[ron_newman]

I don't know that intersection, but the 83 and 91 buses pretty much have to turn left from the right lane of Prospect Street onto Hampshire Street, because there's a bus stop just before the intersection on Prospect.

[real-green-tea.livejournal.com]

<3 your icon Ron Newman. I <3 the 87 too.
(Except that one night two years ago when I was waiting at Lechmere for an hour and a half for the bus to get to Market Basket... by the time it got there, and I was in front of the store, it was about ten til closing. Thank goodness I haven't had a repeat of that experience.)

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

Wow, I used to live at that intersection. Crazy.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

"Boozed-up"? Seriously? Dear, please tell me that writer doesn't have a degree in journalism. "boozed-up?" Driving while drunk is a serious crime, especially professional driving, but professional-writing-while-immature should at least be a misdemeanor.

[ron_newman]

it's the Herald.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

true 'nuff.

[ron_newman]

But at least they reported it, which is more than I can say for the Globe. I found the story at Wicked Local Somerville, which linked to the Herald article.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

+1