NJ Transit operator killed in crash tried to stop train, NTSB says

The New Jersey Transit operator who was killed in a crash in October tried to stop the train before it struck a tree on the tracks, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed in a preliminary report on Thursday, Nov. 7.

On Oct. 14, around 6 a.m., Jessica Haley, an employee with Alstom Transportation, the contractor for NJ Transit, was operating the southbound NJ Transit light rail vehicle 207. The train – which was traveling from Trenton to Camden -- had 41 passengers on board and was composed of two articulated railcars, the NTSB said.

The train was moving at 64 mph through a curve in a wooded area when it struck a tree that had fallen across the tracks at milepost 24.53 near Florence Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, the NTSB said.

Haley had activated the track brakes and the emergency brakes, causing the train to decelerate for about 430 feet before striking the tree, according to the NTSB. A branch of the tree then broke through the forward windshield of the cab and struck Haley, killing her, the NTSB said.

The train then came to a stop about 880 feet past the point of impact. Officials said 23 passengers were injured and taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated and released.

The NTSB said visibility was dark at the time of the crash with the only light coming from the train’s headlights. They also said the weather was 60 degrees Fahrenheit at the time with no precipitation.

NTSB officials inspected the train and examined the track at the scene of the crash. They also reviewed NJ Transit operating procedures, conducted sight distance observations, secured the train’s event recorder for data retrieval, reviewed video recordings from the outward-facing camera of another train that approached the area shortly after the crash and conducted interviews.

The NTSB said their future investigations will focus on NJ Transit’s right-of-way maintenance and inspection practices, dispatcher reporting procedures and the “crashworthiness” of the train’s design.

A day after the deadly crash, Haley’s family announced they were planning on suing NJ Transit, state officials and others.

“Her family is obviously claiming that New Jersey Transit and the other related entities, which would be the state and the township, failed to protect the passengers and the conductor on the train by failing to keep the train tracks free of trees or other debris that could impact the train while it’s going at sixty miles an hour," Kila Baldwin, an attorney for the family, told NBC10's Karen Hua.

Haley was a mother of three boys – ages 13, 8, and 6 – and was from Levittown, Pennsylvania, according to family members.

In a statement on the pending lawsuit, Haley's attorney said that the fallen train operator's sister, Rebecca, who also works for Alstom Transportation, claims conductors on the River Line trains have "complained for years" about concerns of trees on tracks.

"Jessica Haley’s two sisters, including Rebecca Haley, who will be the administratrix of Jessica's estate, also worked as train conductors on the New Jersey River Line, for Alstom, which contracts with New Jersey Transit," Baldwin said. "Rebecca Haley reports that the trees along this section of the New Jersey River Line were troublesome for years and other trains had hit downed trees in recent years. The train conductors complained for years that something had to be done and even suggested having a track car go down the southbound track where Jessica was killed in advance of any passenger cars traveling that way. At one point, dangerous trees along the railway were marked with X’s, but never taken down. There had been a landslide in that same area recently, and a small retaining wall was put up in one section to prevent debris from falling on the tracks, but many sections of the track, including the one where Jessica was killed, had no protection."

The documents do not provide a total amount that the family is seeking in compensation following Haley's death, but they note that "the amount for pain and suffering is not presently ascertainable."

Both New Jersey Transit and Alstom Transportation told NBC10 they would not comment on the pending litigation. Alstom Transportation shared a statement on X the day of Haley’s death.

"Alstom is devastated to confirm that an employee, a train operator for the River LINE light rail in New Jersey, was killed when the light rail struck a tree on the tracks this morning," the company wrote online. "Our prayers are with their family and our thoughts are with the passengers who were injured during this tragic accident. We are offering all of our employees who work for River LINE additional support during this difficult time."

Our prayers are with their family and our thoughts are with the passengers who were injured during this tragic accident. We are offering all of our employees who work for River LINE additional support during this difficult time.

— Alstom USA (@AlstomUSA) October 14, 2024