A 15-year-old Palmyra student athlete walking to soccer practice was fatally injured by a northbound River LINE train at the Chestnut Street crossing, according to borough school officials.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:19 a.m. on Aug. 8, according to Everett Merrill, senior public information officer at New Jersey Transit. There were no injuries reported to the 28 customers or the operator on board the light-rail vehicle.
The River LINE experienced up to 30-minute delays in both directions between Cinnaminson and Route 73 after the accident. Mayor Gina Ragomo Tait, council members, Palmyra police and other first responders – as well as all borough staff and volunteers – called the accident “an unbearable tragedy.”
“This news comes as a tremendous shock,” Interim Superintendent Mark Pease said in a statement, “and we are still struggling with our own emotions as we try to comprehend what has occurred. Our primary concern at the moment is to provide counseling services to our students and staff.
“This student was a member of one of our athletic teams,” he added. “We currently have our school counselors and the Traumatic Loss Coalition for Youth on hand to help those athletes and their families work through this.”
The Burlington County School Crisis Response Team, school counselors, members of the district’s crisis response team and local emergency-management service teams were at Palmyra High School on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10. Counseling services will also be available when school reopens on Sept. 5.
“On behalf of the Palmyra board of education, we would like to send our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences to the family,” Pease said.
