(The following story by Charles Hack appeared on the Jersey Journal website on August 17.)
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — An internal investigation by NJ Transit has cleared the train driver and NJ Transit of wrongdoing in an accident at the Ninth Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Station that left a 6-year-old girl in critical condition, NJ Transit officials said.
The probe, by the NJ Transit Police Department, concluded that the train operator did everything possible to prevent the accident – including slowing down on her approach the station – and sounded her horn and applied the emergency brakes before the train struck the child.
Investigators also determined that the safety systems were operating properly, including lights and bells designed to alert pedestrians of approaching trains.
“The investigation has concluded and confirmed that the operator did everything possible to prevent the accident and warning devices were working as intended,” NJ Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll said.
As an additional step to prevent accidents, NJ Transit has installed temporary barricades to channel pedestrians and force them down the tracks as they approach the crosswalk, NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said. A permanent fence will be installed in the fall, officials said.
NJ Transit officials refused to release the condition of the injured child, citing confidentiality regulations.