The family of the train operator killed Monday in a collision with a tree on the River Line light rail in Burlington County has filed notice to sue New Jersey Transit and others, charging a failure in their duty to keep the tracks clear of debris.
Jessica Haley, 41, of Levittown, was a single mother with three young boys, family members said in a statement. She had been an operator on the River Line, which runs for 34 miles between Trenton and Camden for about 20 years.
Haley “lost her life due to the failure of the responsible parties to inspect these tracks and keep them clear,” Kila Baldwin, the attorney for the family, said in a statement. “This never should have happened.”
Shortly after 6 a.m., a train traveling south from Trenton struck the tree in Mansfield Township, near the light-rail line’s Roebling station, NJ Transit said in a statement. The train was carrying 42 passengers at the time, 23 of whom reported non-life-threatening injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Monday night that it had investigators at the scene earlier in the day and that a preliminary report on the accident was expected in about 30 days.
NJ Transit is a state-owned public transportation company that operates bus, commuter rail and light rail services in the state, as well as parts of Pennsylvania and New York. People with a claim against a government entity in New Jersey are required to serve notice 90 days before filing a lawsuit.
Also notified as a potential development was Alstom, a company that operates the River Line under contract to NJ Transit.
The train was scheduled to leave Trenton at 5:45 a.m. Monday, the first southbound trip of the day.
Baldwin, of Philadelphia law firm Anapol & Weiss, said trees along the tracks Mansfield Township were known to be in weakened condition and prone to fall. In the filing, Baldwin cited Jessica’s sister, Rebecca, who also works as a train operator on the line.
“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,” Baldwin said in a statement.
“The train conductors complained for years that something had to be done and even suggested having a track [maintenance] 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.”
This is a developing story. Check here for updates.
