by Tyler Fransen
A train crashed through a station in Hoboken, N.J., on Thursday, killing one woman and injuring more than 100 passengers, with the New York Times reporting the total injuries to be 114.
The crash occurred around 8:45 a.m. during the morning commute, one of the busiest times of the day for the station. The Hoboken terminal is estimated to transport more than 60,000 passengers per day.
Prior to the crash, it had been reported that the New Jersey Transit was under a federal audit due in part to concerns about safety. The Federal Railroad Administration had been investigating New Jersey Transit for months for possible safety violations and a “leadership vacuum,” a source told ABC News.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is beginning the early stages of the investigation into the cause of the crash. The NTSB would look into the train’s on board camera in the cabin and the black box which collects data on the train leading up to the crash. A similar black box is used in commercial airliners.
However, as of Sunday, USA Today reported that the scene of the crash is too dangerous to conduct a proper investigation, as there are still pieces of shrapnel and metal from both the train and the collapsed roof of the station where the train collided on the platform.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said of the accident, “[It is] an extraordinary tragedy.” News of the train crash sparked criticism of the governor’s transit funds agreement with Democratic leadership of the state legislature. Christie and the state legislature could not agree on how to pay for a $16 billion trust fund for the state’s transportation infrastructure.
There does not seem to be a connection between the depleted trust fund and the crash, while experts are saying that the accident appears to be operator error.
The engineer of the train has been identified as 48-year-old Thomas Gallagher who told NTSB investigators he has no memory of the crash. Gallagher tested negative for alcohol or drugs, eliminating them as a factor in the crash.
Meanwhile the woman who was killed in the crash has been identified as 34-year-old Fabiola Bittar de Kroon. De Kroon was standing on the platform where the crash occurred. She is survived by her husband and 1-year-old daughter.
