7 killed in speeding tram crash
7 dead and 50 injured, 8 seriously Derailed carriages ‘going too fast’
all. I don’t know whether the brakes weren’t working but it was going way too fast. But if those carriages had been built with unbreakable glass none of these people would have died.
“When it started sliding down the line on its side anything going through it was like going against a blade.”
Fellow passenger Martin Bamford, 30, said he believed that a woman who landed on top of him in the crash was one of those who died.
The gutter cleaner from nearby New Addington, who suffered pelvic injuries, said: “We hit the bend and absolutely everyone went flying.
“There was a woman on top of me and I don’t think she made it. She was not responsive. Another woman was trapped between the tracks and the door.
“There were broken legs, head injuries and blood everywhere. I tried to help people off the tram but police told me to get off because it wasn’t safe.”
He said he had spoken to the driver, adding: “I asked him what happened and he said he thinks he blacked out.”
Another passenger Nathan Evan Gibson, 21, said a man next to him was killed when he was thrown through a window as the train careered over. Rail engineer Mr Gibson grabbed on to a pole as fellow commuters were hurled in all directions.
He suffered a cut to his eye and a bang to the head that required a CT scan.
More than 100 emergency workers battled for hours to free five people trapped in the wreckage. An investigation has been launched by British Transport Police alongside the Fire Service and the Rail Accident Investigation Unit.
Sources close to the probe said “driver error” and “potential hazardous weather conditions” would be a primary focus of the investigation.
It is believed the tram went out of control as it was exiting a tunnel around 100 yards from the Sandilands stop.
Overhead pictures show it appeared to have derailed where the New Addington line meets the Beckenham and Elmers End branches.
Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock said last night: “We expect to be at the scene for at least the next 24 hours, continuing searches and carrying
It normally brakes at the bend but I didn’t feel it brake at all RUI DE SA SURVIVOR OF CROYDON TRAM CRASH
out forensic examinations in support of the investigation into the circumstances.
“Tomorrow, we will assess how and when it is appropriate to recover the tram and remove it from the tracks.
“We will continue to work alongside the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to establish the circumstances of how this happened. At this stage it is too early to speculate on a single factor being the cause of this incident.”
A total of 20 patients were taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, South London, while 31 were treated at Croydon University Hospital.
Dr Phil Moss, the clinical director of the emergency department at St George’s, said three of the victims were being operated on there last night.
Prime Minister Theresa May sent her condolences last night, saying: “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this terrible incident.”
Nearby Crystal Palace Football Club also sent a message to those affected, tweeting: “The thoughts of everyone at #CPFC are with those affected by this morning’s tram derailment in Croydon.”