Driver of Croydon tram which derailed killing seven passengers after he 'fell asleep' asked survivors 'how the f**k did that happen', court hears
- Passengers likened the incident to being 'inside a washing machine'
The driver of the tram which derailed and killed seven passengers in Croydon asked survivors 'how the f**k did that happen? Is anyone seriously injured?' a court has heard.
Alfred Dorris, 49, may have fallen asleep just before he took a bend near Sandilands in Croydon at 40mph, where the speed limit was 12mph.
A passenger likened the incident to being 'inside a washing machine,' as windows and doors were ripped off after the tram fell on its side.
Those who died were launched out of the windows before being trapped between the overturned tram and the track.
The crash resulted in the deaths of Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Logan, 52, Philip Seary, 57, Dorota Rynkiewicz, 35, and Robert Huxley, 63, all from New Addington, and Mark Smith, 35, and Donald Collett, 62, who were both from Croydon.
Nineteen passengers were seriously injured in the crash, the Old Bailey has heard.
The bend near Sandilands in Croydon where the speed limit was 12mph
The driver, of Ravenscroft Road, Beckenham, south London, denies failing in his duty to take reasonable care of the health and safety of the 69 passengers on the tram
Dane Chinnery, 19
Mark Smith, 35
Donald Collett, 62
Dorota Rynkiewic, 35
Phil Seary, 57
Philip Logan, 52
Robert Huxley, 63
Survivor Khublal Lochlan had been aboard the tram on his usual morning commute to Putney for a shift as a bus driver.
He had got on at the King Henry's Drive stop, got a seat directly behind the driver and was looking out of the window during the journey.
In a statement read to the court, he said he believed the tram was going at a maximum speed when it entered a tunnel between Lloyd Park and Sandilands and he did not recall any braking.
He felt 'severe turbulence' as the tram came off the track and the carriage descended into 'pitch black', the court heard.
He said: 'I was immediately aware that we had been in a bad accident.'
He recalled the tram driver saying: 'How the f**k did that happen? Is anybody seriously injured?'
The tram was allegedly going 40mph round the bend near Sandilands, Croydon
Mr Lochlan described exiting the wreckage by climbing out of a window and on to the track.
Another survivor, Fausta Bernardo, told jurors she had waited quite a long time at New Addington for the 2551 tram service.
The tram was already going 'fast' before it reached Lloyd Park, the stop before Sandilands, the support worker said.
When it derailed, the electricity went down and she found herself under a chair without her glasses, Ms Bernardo said.
She screamed at the driver to 'wake up' as she saw his eyes were closed, the court heard.
She told jurors: 'I just asked him what happened. He said he did not know.'
Dorris was allegedly in bed for just four hours the night before, with experts due to tell the court he may have had a 'micro-sleep' while in control.
The driver, of Ravenscroft Road, Beckenham, south London, denies failing in his duty to take reasonable care of the health and safety of the 69 passengers on the tram.
The prosecution is brought by the Office for Rail and Road (ORR).
Transport for London and Tram Operations Limited have both admitted failing in their health and safety duties by not producing a risk assessment for a derailment on the sharp bend and will be sentenced after the trial.
The trial continues.
