Rail operator’s family sues after tree crash on NJ Transit train – NBC10 Philadelphia

The family of the train operator killed when a New Jersey Transit River Line train crashed into a tree in Mansfield Township early Monday has announced they plan to file a lawsuit against the transit company, state officials and others following her death.

The accident also injured at least 23 passengers on the morning train that passed through Burlington County on October 14, 2024.

In documents released late Monday evening, Kila Baldwin of Philadelphia-based Anapol Weiss alerted officials from the state of New Jersey, NJ Transit, Southern New Jersey Rail Group, Alstom Transportation, the Burlington County Board of Commissioners and the township on Mansfield said the family of train operator Jessica Haley planned to take legal action.

State officials have not yet confirmed the identity of the platoon leader killed Monday.

But according to documents shared by the law firm, Haley — a 41-year-old mother of three young boys from Levittown, Pennsylvania — was killed while piloting an NJ Transit River Line train traveling south from Trenton’s Roebling Station.

Officials have not yet determined how the tree caused the fall – whether it was on the tracks or fell on the train.

A rail technology expert who spoke to NBC10 the day of the accident said that typically an object blocking the tracks – such as a car – shorts a circuit, which sends a warning signal to the train.

However, because wood is not a good conductor of electricity, there was no warning signal during Monday’s fatal accident.

Haley was employed for 20 years by Alstom Transportation, which had a contract with NJ Transit, her family’s attorneys claim.

On Tuesday, Haley’s attorney said in a statement about the pending lawsuit that the fallen rail operator’s sister, Rebecca, who also works for Alstom Transportation, claims conductors on River Line trains have complained about concerns about trees “for years.” Tracks weighed down.

“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,” said attorney Kila Baldwin. “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. Train conductors complained for years that something needed to be done and even suggested building a track car to walk along the southbound 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 “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.”

An NJ Transit spokesman said Tuesday that the agency has declined to comment on pending litigation.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing, officials said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also investigated the crash.

This is breaking news. It will be updated as new information becomes available.