NTSB releases report on death of NJ Transit employee Jessica Haley – NBC10 Philadelphia

The New Jersey Transit operator who died in a crash in October attempted to stop the train before it crashed into a tree on the tracks, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday, Nov. 7. revealed in a preliminary report.

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

The train was traveling at 64 miles per hour through a curve in a wooded area when it struck a tree that had fallen over the tracks at milepost 24.53 near Florence Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, the NTSB said with.

According to the NTSB, Haley had activated the track brakes and emergency brakes, causing the train to decelerate for approximately 430 feet before hitting the tree. A branch from the tree then smashed through the taxi’s front windshield and struck Haley, killing her, the NTSB said.

The train then came to a stop approximately 880 feet beyond the impact site. Officials said 23 passengers were injured and taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated and released.

According to the NTSB, visibility was dark at the time of the accident and the only light came from the train’s headlights. They also said the weather at the time was 60 degrees Fahrenheit and there was no precipitation.

NTSB officials inspected the train and examined the tracks at the scene of the accident. They also reviewed NJ Transit’s operations, conducted visibility observations, secured the train’s event recorder for data retrieval, reviewed video footage from the outward-facing camera of another train that approached the area shortly after the accident, and conducted interviews.

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

A day after the fatal accident, Haley’s family announced that they planned to sue NJ Transit, state officials and others.

“Your family is apparently alleging that New Jersey Transit and its other affiliated entities, i.e. the state and the municipality, failed to protect the passengers and conductor on the train by failing to keep the train tracks clear of trees or other debris “The train could impact him while he’s traveling at 60 miles per hour,” Kila Baldwin, an attorney for the family, told NBC10’s Karen Hua.

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

In a statement about the pending lawsuit, Haley’s attorney said the ousted rail operator’s sister, Rebecca, who also works for Alstom Transportation, claims conductors on River Line trains have complained “for years” about concerns about trees on tracks.

“Jessica Haley’s two sisters, including Rebecca Haley, who will be the executor 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 have been a problem for years, and other trains have struck fallen trees in recent years. The train conductors complained for years that something needed to be done and even suggested building a track car.” Walk south along the track where Jessica was killed in front of the passenger cars traveling that way. At one point, dangerous trees along the railway line were marked with an “X”, but in the same area there had been a recent landslide. In one section, a small retaining wall was constructed to prevent debris from falling onto the tracks, but many sections of the line , including the section where Jessica was killed, had no protection.”

The documents do not specify a total amount the family is seeking in compensation following Haley’s death, but they note that “the amount of pain and suffering cannot be determined at this time.”

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

“Alstom is devastated to confirm that an employee, a conductor on 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 families and our thoughts are with the passengers injured in 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 her family and our thoughts are with the passengers injured in this tragic accident. We are offering all of our employees working for River LINE additional support during this difficult time.

— Alstom USA (@AlstomUSA) October 14, 2024