MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident that killed the operator of an NJ Transit light rail train.
The agency made the announcement in a late Monday post to X.com.
The operator was killed and more than 20 passengers were injured when a train on NJ Transit’s River Line struck a downed tree about 6 a.m. on Monday [see “Operator killed …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 14, 2024].
While NJ Transit originally said River Line service would remain suspended all day today between Florence and the Trenton Transit Center, full River Line operations between Trenton and Camden were restored by 3:20 p.m. ET, according to a post on X.com. A notice on the NJ Transit website says the service was restored “following a complete evaluation of the tracks in teh vicinity of Monday’s accident.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday on X.com that he had been briefed on the accident and that an investigation was underway, adding, “Our prayers are with all affected by this tragic incident.”
The name of the train operator has not yet been released by authorities, but a law firm has identified her as Jessica Haley, a 41-year-old mother of three, and says that Haley’s family plans to file suit over her death, WCAU-TV reports. A representative of the Philadelphia-based Anapol Weiss law firm has informed the state of New Jersey, NJ Transit, the Southern New Jersey Rail Group, Alstom Transportation, the Burlington County Board of Commissioners and Mansfield Township of the impending legal action.
— Updated at 11:55 a.m. CT with information on operator and planned lawsuit; updated at 7:25 p.m. CT with resumption of River Line service.
