Tram crash driver ‘may have fallen asleep’

The driver involved in the Croydon tram crash possibly drifted into a “microsleep” before speeding round a sharp bend, an investigation has found.

Alfred Dorris, 43, from Beckenham, was driving the tram when it came off the tracks at almost four times the speed limit on 9 November last year, killing seven people and injuring 51.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) believe it is “probable” he “temporarily lost awareness” on a straight section of track and may have fallen into a microsleep for up to 49 seconds. When he roused from his disorientation, he initially believed the tram was travelling in the opposite direction, not realising the bend was approaching. Passengers described the crash that followed as “like being in a washing machine”.