Prayers Up! Operator Dead, At Least 20 Reportedly Injured After New Jersey Transit Train Struck A Tree

A train operator is dead, and at least 20 people have reportedly been injured after a New Jersey Transit train struck a tree.

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Here’s What Reportedly Happened To The Train Operator & New Jersey Transit Train

According to USA Today, the New Jersey transit train crashed into the fallen tree around 6:04 a.m. on Monday, October 14. The train was reportedly carrying 42 passengers while traveling southbound from Trenton.

Per the outlet, a train operator was killed in the collision. NBC10 Philadelphia has since identified the operator as Jessica Haley, a 41-year-old mother of three.

Additionally, 23 passengers sustained “non-life-threatening injuries” amid the collision, while the remaining 19 passengers continued their travels via bus accommodations.

“There was a tree on the track. I don’t know if it fell on the track or if it was just laying on the track. It was a gigantic tree on the track,” Norris Young, a passenger on the train, told NBC10 Philadelphia.

Furthermore, USA Today noted that footage taken of the aftermath of the crash showed “a broken tree trunk lodged underneath” the train, which sustained a “smashed windshield.”

Here’s What’s Expected To Happen After The Fatal Crash

According to NBC10 Philadelphia, Young shared a few statements about Jessica Haley while becoming emotional.

“And to have someone, even from that small affiliation… Just, you know, the smile and the pleasant hello, you know, in the morning, you know, when you get on there, and the next time you see this person, they’re just… bludgeoned,” Young said. “Bludgeoned. She was just laying there, and there was nothing nobody could do.”

Per a subsequent report from the outlet, Haley’s family has announced their plans to bring a wrongful death suit against the New Jersey Transit company, “state officials, and others.” To note, state officials have yet to publicly confirm Haley as the deceased train operator.

“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,” attorney Kila Baldwin told reporters on Tuesday, October 15.

Additionally, state officials have not publicly noted “how the tree caused the crash — whether it was on the tracks already or if it fell onto the train.”

Meanwhile, Haley’s employer, Alstom Transportation, which is reportedly contracted with New Jersey Transit, released a statement on Monday about the incident.

“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 statement shared via X, formerly known as Twitter reads. “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

An investigation into the incident reportedly remains ongoing.

Another Train Collision Recently Made Headlines In Michigan

In August, a separate train collision made headlines. As The Shade Room previously reported, Michigan firefighters arrived at railroad tracks on the evening of August 26. They reportedly found a 20-year-old man “partially entangled” with a train.

Furthermore, the man’s hand was reportedly caught between the wheel, axle, and motor of the train. After about two hours, the man was successfully untangled. Ultimately, authorities released more information about what allegedly caused the incident and how the man’s life was spared.