More than 100 injures as train crashes in New Jersey

ADDS COMMENTS FROM NJ GOVERNOR, HOSPITAL; WITNESSES; ADDS DETAILS OF STATIONS

NEW YORK (AA) – More than 100 people were injured, many critically, when a commuter train crashed into a station during the Thursday morning rush hour in Hoboken, New Jersey, officials said.

At least one person was killed, according to unconfirmed reports.

Thomas Spina was at the opposite end of the terminal at the time of the crash and told reporters when emergency exits opened, passengers come out slowly. “There were folks I tried to help. They were bleeding, there was limbs that were injured. The train seemed like it could not stop for some reason. I knew it was not going to stop."

More than 20 ambulances scrambled to the scene following the crash at approximately 8.40 a.m. (1240GMT) at the Hudson Place station that had around 250 people inside at the time, New Jersey Transit spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson told reporters.

A spokeswoman at Jersey City Medical Center said 51 patients were taken to the facility with in various conditions ranging from head injuries to broken bones. She said three are in critical condition -- one is in surgery and one is in intensive care.

New Jersey Transit train inspector Rick Ciapplo, who was on the other side of the terminal when the crash occurred, does not think a break failure is to blame.

"I don’t think there was a problem with the train," he told reporters, adding that train cars are inspected every 24 hours in accordance with federal law.

Asked whether he thought it could have been a terrorist attack, he said: “Yeah sure, in this day and age, sure.”

He said he was close enough to hear but didn’t hear any screeching sound that would have indicated an attempt to brake.

Ciapplo said there were numerous injuries and those “who got severely hurt” were outside rather than inside the train.

“One girl wasn’t even moving, she was gone,” he said.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told CNN that no one is believed to be still trapped inside the train he said was traveling at a higher than usual speed. Officials are examining the structural integrity of the historic Hoboken terminal that opened in 1907, he said.

The structure that separated the train stop area from the main hall of the station was completely destroyed, one witness said.

Jamie, who did not give her last name, was on the train at the time and said it was still at full speed when it entered the station.

“We never really slowed down,” she told reporters.

Jamie said the train, which was a shorter train operational during rush hour, was packed and she saw numerous people bloodied from injuries.

She said she didn’t remember any “screeching” that would have been heard if there had been an attempt to brake.

“It was more than a jolt. Everybody was thrown to the other side” upon impact with the station wall, she said.

Train services in and out of Hoboken have been suspended.

The Hoboken station was the cite of another accident that injured 34 people in 2011 when a train crashed because of a mechanical failure.

Six different train lines carry an average of 15,000 passengers to New York City daily from the station.