Fatal train crash in New Jersey caused by freak accident involving fallen tree

A freak accident involving a fallen tree on the NJ Transit River Line resulted in the death of one person and several other injuries Monday morning.

Around 6 a.m., a train traveling south from Trenton struck a tree, which toppled and fell onto the tracks. The train driver was killed in the accident.

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The accident occurred just before the train was scheduled to arrive at Roebling Station, the fourth southbound stop on the departure from the state capital and the second stop in Burlington County.

According to NJ.com, of the 42 people on the train at the time of the tragedy, 23 passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Norris Young, a Train passenger, spoke to NBC 10 about the situation. He said that no one really knows if the tree was already on the ground or if it fell on the train because everything happened so quickly. He saw someone being carried away on a stretcher while others suffered cuts and wounds from the force of the blow.

“It was like a movie,” he told the news station. “I’m still upset. Someone lost their life.”

The local CBS station in Philadelphia sent its helicopter over the scene and reported seeing a huge tree trunk under the front of the train.

NJ Transit has not yet issued a statement on the incident other than traffic updates and closures on the River Line between Florence and Trenton. No details were released about the operator who lost his life.