by Neil W. McCabe

Shortly before 1 p.m., a man was struck by a Boston-bound train at the Davis Square T-stop.

A man outside the station said men working on the escalator witnessed the accident and told him that an elderly male jumped in front of Red Line train #1611 while it was still at full speed.

The train did not stop until four or five cars had passed over the victim, the man said.

For more than an hour, MBTA detectives ordered the station secured, and shuttle buses ferried commuters to T-stops on either side of the line.  While the curious waited on the sidewalk, the detectives on the subway platform recreated the accident.  Using orange spray paint, they marked the point of impact and the point where the train stopped.  Working behind the yellow police tape, they set up a series of small four-inch orange cones to mark witness vantage points.  One lone cone surrounded by spots of fresh blood marked to the victims was stabilized before he was taken to the hospital.

An officer with the MBTA police, who did not speak for attribution, said the man was extracted from the rail pit alive and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.

The toll collector on duty during the accident said he did not hear screams or commotion.  Rather, commuters on the platform ran up the stairs to his booth to tell him.

Somerville police and fire fighters also responded to the scene.

At or around 2:30 p.m., the station was reopened and regular train service resumed, and the train was moved to the MBTA’s Cabot maintenance  facility in South Boston.

The accident is still under investigation by the MBTA.

Developing…