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Lawyer: Boston Trolley Driver May Change Plea

A former Boston trolley driver who authorities say was texting just before his vehicle slammed into another one in 2009, injuring more than 60 people, may change his plea.

Aiden Quinn initially pleaded not guilty to a charge of gross negligence by a person in control of a common carrier. The charge carries a maximum of 2 1/2 years in county jail.

Quinn has a change-of-plea hearing scheduled for Friday in Suffolk Superior Court, according to an electronic calendar listing. Quinn's lawyer, James Sultan, said Quinn is considering changing his plea to guilty.

Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley, declined to comment.

Prosecutors have said that Quinn admitted typing a text message to his girlfriend in the moments before his Green Line trolley crashed into the rear of another trolley beneath Government Center on May 8, 2009. Quinn, 26, was fired after the accident.

A week after the crash, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority enacted a strict policy banning operators from possessing cell phones or other devices on the job. Since the new rules were put in place, 12 employees have been fired and 10 others have been suspended for 10 days.

Authorities said Quinn, while texting, ran through yellow and red warning lights and into the two-car train ahead of him. Investigators said 62 passengers on both trains received medical attention; 49 of them were taken away in ambulances.

This program aired on November 15, 2010. The audio for this program is not available.

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