Glenn Inghram grabbed a sandwich and drink from his favourite comfort retailer, close to Forest Hills station, final Saturday afternoon, earlier than making a “fateful trip back to his van.”
His household is now trying to find solutions after an MBTA bus driver struck the 63-year-old Jamaica Plain resident in a crosswalk on the decrease busway. Inghram was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Middle with severe accidents earlier than he died Sunday night time.
“We want some answers to figure out what happened so we can move past this, as well, but just for something to change,” Inghram’s niece Ashley Inghram advised reporters inside a Downtown Boston convention room.
“It is a scary intersection,” Inghram mentioned of the roadway the place her uncle died, one which her household and lots of of close by residents are calling for security enhancements.
The Inghram household intends to file a wrongful demise lawsuit in opposition to the MBTA in reference to the incident, mentioned Lawyer Thomas Flaws, of Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys.
Flaws detailed that from what he’s been advised, the MBTA bus turned left right into a crosswalk with Glenn Inghram crossing, which he mentioned violates Massachusetts legislation. He added {that a} site visitors sign on the intersection permits buses to activate a inexperienced gentle whereas a stroll signal is illuminated.
“We need to hold the MBTA responsible for that,” Flaws mentioned.
“Glenn Inghram lived a selfless life,” the lawyer added, “and nothing would honor his legacy and his life more than seeing these changes be made and prevent a senseless loss of life in the future.”
Greater than 600 residents from Jamaica Plain, Woodbourne and Forest Hills are calling on the town and state to do all it will possibly to forestall future incidents.
They’ve signed a letter within the days following Inghram’s demise, outlining enhancements they’d prefer to see applied on the intersection of Tower and Washington streets.
Requests embody a full pedestrian stroll sign separate from bus timing, an extension of the pedestrian-only sign timing to the intersection of Arborway and Washington Road, reevaluating bus routing, and elevated visibility across the bus exit.
“Every day that passes without action puts more lives at risk,” the letter states. “We implore you to treat this situation with the urgency it demands.”
Metropolis officers are in contact with space residents to find out what quick enhancements could be made, whereas longer-term planning is underway as a part of a multimodal hall challenge alongside Hyde Park Avenue, a metropolis spokesperson advised the Herald.
“We’re deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred Saturday at Forest Hills Station, and on the metropolis degree, our high precedence is to enhance security for pedestrians,” the spokesperson mentioned.
Ken Inghram wiped his tears whereas speaking about his brother’s life, the accidents he suffered, the day he died, and the way he hopes Glenn’s demise isn’t for “nothing.” He challenged folks to stroll throughout the intersection to see the risks of buses getting “too close to you.”
“Why did it take Glenn’s death to have this come to the forefront? It should have just been corrected before his death,” Ken Inghram mentioned, “but it wasn’t so this better wake up some people that need to make the decisions to change that intersection.”
Ken and his youngsters Ashley and Matt Inghram flew in from Denver final Saturday, arriving at Beth Israel round midnight. They obtained quite a few updates from a neurosurgeon about Glenn’s extreme head accidents together with a fractured cranium and mind swelling.
Late Sunday morning, the household determined to take Glenn off a ventilator, and he died shortly earlier than 9 p.m. He donated his organs, Ken mentioned of his brother who ran a gardening enterprise in Jamaica Plain.
Glenn had lived in JP since 2004 or 2005, Ken mentioned, however he had his eyes on transferring to Maine. Ken’s final time seeing Glenn alive was in June once they had an AirBnB in Castine, Maine, close to Bar Harbor, to have a look at properties – two farmhouses.
The brothers additionally visited Acadia Nationwide Park with Glenn’s beloved beagles.
“He has been a great friend, a great brother,” Ken mentioned of Glenn. “I miss him dearly. I just don’t want this death to be for nothing. Sometimes I feel like it takes a death to effect change in this society.”
In response to a Herald inquiry on how the MBTA is addressing security at Forest Hills station, an company spokesperson highlighted the way it has “more than doubled the size of its Safety Department in the past three years, broadening the scope of its activities and training thousands of employees to help foster a culture in which safety is prioritized.”
“We send our condolences to the Inghram family during this time and the MBTA is cooperating with the District Attorney’s active investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident,” the spokesperson mentioned. “Following safety-related incidents, it is standard procedure for bus/train operators to be removed from service while the investigative process advances.”
Ken Inghram mentioned he has no feedback for the bus driver who struck and killed his brother as he awaits for the investigation to be full.
“I understand what needs to be done,” he mentioned. “I’m not going to blame him. I can’t, I don’t know the circumstances behind the incident.”
