Croydon tram crash families examine options for further legal action

A SOLICITOR representing families of five of the seven people who died in the Croydon tram crash has written on their behalf to the Attorney General, urging him to make a High Court application for a fresh inquest.

Ben Posford of Osbornes

Law says that the coroner at July’s hearing at Croydon Town Hall misinterpreted the law by deciding not to call certain witnesses including managers from the system’s operator Tram Operations Ltd (TOL), Transport for London or any drivers.

Citing previous cases, South London senior coroner Sarah Ormonde-Walshe ruled that it was not the job of the coroner to duplicate the Rail Accident Investigation Branch inquiry into the tragedy as she did not feel that this was flawed.

Accident verdict

The tram derailed and overturned on a curve approaching Sandilands junction on November 9, 2016. The inquest jury concluded that the deaths of Dane Chinnery, Donald Collett, Robert Huxley, Philip Logan, Philip Seary, Dorota Rynkiewicz and Mark Smith were accidental.

The jury added that contributing factors were tram driver Alfred Dorris becoming disorientated, probably due to a microsleep and TOL failing to adequately account for the risk of a high-speed derailment or ensure a culture where drivers felt able to raise health and safety concerns.

Inviting Attorney General Michael Ellis QC MP to meet some of the families, Mr Posford added that they felt no one had been held accountable: “The families feel deeply let down by the inquest process and can see no point in having such an inquiry and then calling none of those responsible to give evidence to the jury.”