Levittown Mother Of Three Killed In NJ Train Crash, Family To Sue

A Levittown woman has been identified as the operator killed when a New Jersey Transit River Line train struck a tree Monday morning.

The crash happened around 6 a.m. in Mansfield Township in Burlington County and left Jessica Haley, 41, dead, according to reports and a law firm representing the victim.

Haley worked for Alstom, the contractor that operates the train line that runs between Trenton and Camden for New Jersey Transit, for two decades. She was a single mother of three boys.

According to PHL 17 News, a tree was on the tracks when the train operated by Haley struck it.

Video of the crash site showed the River Line train with severe damage to the front of it.

At least 23 passengers were reported to be injured in the crash, according to 6abc.

Kila Baldwin, the attorney for the Haley family, released a statement Tuesday morning that they plan to bring a lawsuit against Alstom, New Jersey Transit, Burlington County, and others.

“It is the duty of all companies who operate trains to ensure the tracks are clear for the safety of everyone on those trains, including the operators of the trains, like Ms. Haley. Ms. Haley was a single mother of three boys, and lost her life due to the failure of the responsible parties to inspect these tracks and keep them clear. This never should have happened, and we will be investigating the case carefully to hold all responsible parties accountable,” the attorney said.

The attorney added: “Jessica Haley’s two sisters, including Rebecca Haley, who will be the administratrix of Jessica’s estate, also worked as train conductors on the New Jersey River Line, for Alstom, which contracts with New Jersey Transit. Rebecca Haley reports that the trees along this section of the New Jersey River Line were troublesome for years and other trains had hit downed trees in recent years. 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. At one point, dangerous trees along the railway were marked with X’s, but never taken down. There had been a landslide in that same area recently, and a small retaining wall was put up in one section to prevent debris from falling on the tracks, but many sections of the track, including the one where Jessica was killed, had no protection.”

According to a statement, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was working to investigate the crash.

NBC 10 reported a transit agency spokesperson said Tuesday that the agency did not want to comment on pending litigation.

Alstom issued a statement that said: “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 [Monday] morning. 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.”

New Jersey Transit posted that service on the River Line resumed and track repairs were underway.

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