Man Hit By Train In Haddonfield Fighting For His Life

HADDONFIELD, NJ — A man who was hit by a train this month in Haddonfield is fighting for his life.

Richard "Jamie" Calabrese, 44, sustained a brain bleed, collapsed lungs and fractures throughout his body when a PATCO train approaching Haddonfield Station struck him on Dec. 18. He lost a leg, his foot was amputated and he only regained the ability to speak on Christmas Day as he recovers at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, according to his niece, Ashley Greene.

The past couple weeks have been agonizing for the family of Calabrese, a Port Monmouth resident. Greene and her mother — Calabrese's only sibling — live in Oklahoma.

After facing death on the PATCO tracks, Calabrese has made significant progress. Not only can he speak, but medical staff saved his arms. However, he faces a lengthy path to recovery.

Ultimately, Calabrese's sister plans to take care of him in Oklahoma. Greene set up a GoFundMe to support her uncle's continued care and his planned move to the Sooner State.

"My sister passed away in 2020 at the age of 2," Greene told Patch on Tuesday. "We all have the experience of ventilators, respiratory treatments, things like that, so we have the medical knowledge."

It remains unclear how or why Calabrese got onto the tracks. The Delaware River Port Authority Police Department, which oversees PATCO's law enforcement, is still investigating, DRPA spokesperson Mike Williams told Patch on Friday.

"It appears that the individual gained unauthorized access to the restricted track area of their own accord," Williams said.

For more than a week, Calabrese was in the hospital without a family member by his side. Greene had been calling the nurses nightly for updates on her uncle's health.

They recently secured funds for Greene's mother to fly out to Calabrese — she traveled to New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday.

The GoFundMe has only generated $420 toward the $20,000 goal as of Friday afternoon. Money raised will also assist Greene's mother with food, transportation and lodging while she's by her brother's side.

View the GoFundMe page here.