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The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary investigation into the Thursday, Oct. 15 crash. Jessica Haley, 41, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was the conductor who died south of the Roebling station in Mansfield Township.
According to the NTSB, the light rail vehicle struck the tree at milepost 24.53 near Florence at around 6:02 a.m. There were 41 passengers on the two-car train heading from Trenton to Camden and 23 of them were injured.
The River LINE train was traveling about 64 mph through a curve in a wooded area with a speed limit of 65 mph. Haley activated the track and emergency brakes, slowing the vehicle down for about 430 feet before it hit the tree.
A tree branch shattered the windshield and killed Haley. The train came to a stop about 880 feet past the point of impact.
The visibility conditions were dark and the train's headlights provided the only light. The weather was 60 degrees with no precipitation.
NJ Transit estimated there was about $194,000 in damages.
"While on scene, the National Transportation Safety Board inspected [the train], examined the track at the accident site, reviewed NJ Transit operating procedures, conducted sight distance observations, secured [the train's] event recorder for data retrieval, reviewed video recordings from the outward-facing camera of [a light rail vehicle] that approached the accident site shortly after the collision, and completed interviews," NTSB said.
Haley's family filed a lawsuit against NJ Transit and the company she worked for named Alstom. The suit also named Southern JJ Rail Group, the Burlington County Board of Commissioners, and the Township of Mansfield.
Philadelphia attorney Kila Baldwin said the group mentioned in the suit failed to ensure tracks were clear, jeopardizing the safety of operators, workers, and passengers.
"This never should have happened, and we will be investigating the case carefully to hold all responsible parties accountable," said Baldwin. "The family is understandably devastated and intends to pursue this matter to the fullest extent of the law to prevent anyone from ever suffering the same fate as Jessica."
Jessica’s sister Rebecca Haley — also a River LINE conductor — said the section of tracks near the crash scene has been "troublesome" and other trains have recently hit fallen trees, according to the family's lawyers.
"The train conductors complained for years that something had to be done and even suggested having a track car go down the southbound track where Jessica was killed in advance of any passenger cars traveling that way," Baldwin said. "At one point, dangerous trees along the railway were marked with X’s, but never taken down."
The attorneys also claimed a small retaining wall was put up after a recent landslide, "but many sections of the track, including the one where Jessica was killed, had no protection."
The NTSB said the investigation remained open and it would review "NJ Transit’s right-of-way maintenance and inspection practices, dispatcher reporting procedures, and the crashworthiness of the [light rail vehicle's] design."
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