At 8:45 a.m. yesterday, Thursday, September 29, a NJ Transit train filled with passengers and traveling at what is now known to be an extreme speed crashed into a Hoboken Terminal, injuring more than 100 and killing 1 person.

The train sped past its stopping point, crashed into a bumper block (an apparatus meant to slow down trains that accidentally pass their stops), flew up into the air and went through a passenger concourse. It was at the end of a typical 17-stop route, starting more than an hour prior to the crash in Spring Valley, New York.

Hoboken Terminal is one of the busiest stops in the New York/New Jersey area. The one fatality that did occur was a 34-year-old woman named Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, who lived in Hoboken and had just dropped her child off at day care. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that she was “struck by debris while standing on the platform”.

Thomas Gallagher, the engineer of the train for 29 years, was treated and released from a nearby hospital. He is said to be cooperating with the authorities in the ongoing investigation.

As for the current state of the train, half of the first car was “crumpled,” and the roof is at the same level as the seats. There is a safety system called PTC (positive train control) which some lawmakers have been saying could have helped this situation. It contains wireless radio, GPS, and a computer system that closely monitors trains in order to prevent colliding, derailing, or speeding. This system has not yet been installed by NJ Transit. They instead have an older safety system. The governors of New York and New Jersey have cautioned people not to jump to conclusions, to wait until the investigation is finalized before they begin to reconsider different technology.

As the investigation is still ongoing, authorities plan to get to the bottom of this tragic accident.