NTSB releases report on deadly 2024 River Line crash
The two-year-long investigation by the NTSB determined there were “predawn low light conditions that prevented the operator from seeing the tree in time to stop the train.”
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The National Transportation Safety Board has released new findings on a deadly crash on the River Line in 2024.
The Oct. 14 crash took the life of a light rail operator.
The investigation revealed that there were four other tree strikes with trains before that deadly crash took place.
Light rail operator Jessica Haley, 41, was operating the River Line at 6 a.m. when the train hit a large tree lying across the tracks. The tree pierced the windshield, striking Haley.
The two-year-long investigation by the NTSB determined there were “predawn low light conditions that prevented the operator from seeing the tree in time to stop the train.”
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Concerning the four prior tree strikes, the report stated, “These collisions were minor but indicated the presence of a risk that, on October 14, 2024, led to a fatal collision.”
The NTSB concluded, “This accident underscores the importance of incorporating all measurable hazards into system safety programs.”
Haley’s family filed a lawsuit after her death, stating operators had worried about large trees that hadn’t been cut down alongside the tracks.
That lawsuit is still pending.
New Jersey Transit has declined to comment on the NTSB report.
It is now a regular practice for NJ Transit to remove trees seen as a potential hazard along the River Line route.
