Attorney: NJ Transit train operator killed by tree identified as single mother of 3 boys
The Haley family attorney tells News 12 New Jersey that NJ Transit should be held responsible for her death and that they’re filing a lawsuit against the agency.
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A 41-year-old woman has been identified as the New Jersey Transit train operator killed while operating a River Line train that crashed into a tree on Monday morning. An attorney representing the victim’s family identified her as Jessica Haley, of Levittown, Pennsylvania.
The Haley family attorney tells News 12 New Jersey that NJ Transit should be held responsible for her death and that they’re filing a lawsuit against the agency.
Haley was a single mother to three children ages 13, 8 and 6. She lived with her family in Levittown and had been a light rail operator for about 20 years.
Officials say that around 6 a.m. Monday, the train Haley was operating crashed into a tree lying across the tracks while traveling south to the Roebling stations. That tree broke through the front windshield and killed her.
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Attorney Kila Baldwin says Haley’s death could’ve been avoided if New Jersey Transit hadn’t failed to keep those tracks clear.
“The conductors for years have been concerned about this River Line and the trees that would fall onto the tracks,” Baldwin says.
Baldwin has been told so by Hayley’s sister, Rebecca Haley, who is also a River Line operator.
“At one point, they suggested running track cars in the mornings before the first passenger cars went down just to clear any debris off the tracks,” Baldwin added.
At another time, Baldwin says that "NJ Transit or some entity marked the dangerous trees with [the letter X], but unfortunately, nothing was done to trim them or take them off.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
New Jersey Transit says it will not comment on the lawsuit.
