Anapol Weiss has been hired to represent the family of Jessica Haley, who was killed while operating the New Jersey Transit River Line train on the morning of October 14, 2024, when a large tree that had fallen onto the track was struck by the train.
Kila Baldwin, lead attorney on the case for the Anapol Weiss Train Accident Injury litigation team, made the following statement to the press on October 15, 2024:
Statement of Kila Baldwin, attorney for the family of Jessica Haley, the single mother of three boys who died yesterday when the New Jersey River Line train she was operating hit a tree on the tracks. Jessica was 41 years old. She was from Levittown, Bucks County. She worked for Alstom, the contractor to NJ Transit, for 20 years.
"I have been retained by Jessica Haley’s family to represent them, and while the family is in the process of formally raising the estate, we have served the notice of our intent to file a tort claims act on the State of NJ, New Jersey Transit, New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, Southern JJ Rail Group, Alstom, Burlington County Board of Commissioners, and Township of Mansfield."
"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 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 Haley’s sister, Rebecca Haley, who will be the administratrix of Jessica's estate, also worked as a train conductor 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."
In Recent News
"Failed to protect the passengers and the conductor on the train by failing to keep the train tracks free of trees or other debris that could impact the train while it’s going at sixty miles an hour." - Kila Baldwin, quoted by NBC 10 Philadelphia (10/15/2024)
"This never should have happened, and we will be investigating the case carefully to hold all responsible parties accountable." - Kila Baldwin, CBS News Philadelphia (10/15/2024)
“A reckless indifference to a very open and obvious problem . . . .Apparently trains have hit trees in that same section in the past . . . It was definitely an issue they should have been aware of and should have been protecting the trains from.” - Kila Baldwin, KYW 1060 AM (10/15/2024)
"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." - Kila Baldwin, Phil17 News (10/15/2024)
“This really was a preventable tragedy. Shame on NJ Transit for not doing something about it before this happened.” - Kila Baldwin, Gothamist (10/15/2024)
"Failure of the responsible parties to inspect these tracks and keep them clear." - Kila Baldwin, ABC7 Eyewitness News (10/15/2024)
"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." - Kila Baldwin, Patch (10/15/2024)
"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." - Kila Baldwin, LevittownNOW.com (10/15/2024)
"This should not have happened and we will be investigating because Jessica’s family wants to take the case to the highest judicial forum.” - Kila Baldwin, Telemundo47 (10/15/2024)
“At one point, dangerous trees along the railway were marked with X’s, but never taken down.” - Kila Baldwin, The Philadelphia Inquirer (10/15/2024)
