Authorities are investigating the tragic death of a Toms River NJ man who was killed after being struck by an NJ Transit train in Long Branch, New Jersey.
According to officials, the fatal train accident occurred just before midnight on Saturday night. The victim was a pedestrian walking near the Elberon train station, which is located in Long Branch, NJ. He reportedly died upon impact.
The origin of the train that hit the pedestrian was Long Branch NJ, a beachside city in Monmouth County. The train was traveling on the North Jersey Coast Line and heading to Bay Head, which is located in Ocean County, NJ.
For approximately one hour after the train crash, NJ Transit suspended service in the Long Branch area, according to a spokesman for New Jersey Transit who issued an official statement about the fatal train accident.
Not long after the accident, local law enforcement identified the victim as Thomas Gordon, a 27-year-old man who lived in Toms River, NJ. An obituary noted that Gordon went to high school at Toms River High School North, graduating in 2007. He went on to work as a cable technician for Vitel Communications, a cable network installation and support service with a base of operations in Bayville, New Jersey.
Thankfully, nobody on board the train sustained any injuries as a result of the train accident. It is believed that as many as 75 people, including passengers and NJ Transit personnel and crew members, were on the train when it crashed into the victim.
Can the Victim’s Family File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
At this time, NJ Transit officials and police investigators are still trying to determine exactly what might have caused the train crash. One New Jersey Transit official has already gone on record and called the victim a “trespasser” unlawfully on the property when he was struck and killed by the train.
The NJ Transit official’s use of the term “trespasser” to describe the train crash victim is probably not unintentional. Under New Jersey premises liability law, a property owner or operator may not be liable for injuries, or death, caused by a hazardous or dangerous condition on the property if the victim was trespassing at the time of the accident.
Depending on the circumstances of the fatal accident, it is possible that the victim’s family members could file a wrongful death lawsuit for damages. The findings of the investigation into the cause of the train crash will go a long way toward determining whether the family has a viable personal injury case.
For more information about this fatal train accident, go to the following article: 27-year-old Toms River man identified as pedestrian killed by train in Long Branch