Croydon tram crash: Driver suspended after 'falling asleep' footage emerges on fatal line

Croydon: the footage was taken on the same line as the crash which killed seven
PA / Sky News
Tom Powell19 November 2016

A tram driver has been suspended after footage appeared to show him asleep at the controls near the site of the Croydon crash that killed seven people.

An investigation was launched after a concerned passenger filmed the 32-second clip as the driver struggled to stay upright around three miles from the tragedy at Sandilands stop, south London, The Sun reported.

The footage was recorded between the Coombe Lane and Gravel Hill stations shortly after 6pm on April 21, the newspaper said.

A spokesman for rail company FirstGroup said: "The driver involved in the video has been removed from duty pending the outcome of the investigation.

"He will now be subject to a full investigation so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."

During the time the man was sleeping, the tram was going at around 40mph, the paper claimed.

The person who took the video said: "I was incredulous when I saw him.

“I did a few double takes."

He went on: "It was the most surreal thing because the tram is zooming along and the driver seems to be falling asleep."

“It’s a downhill stretch and it felt to me like the train was going too fast," he said.

Croydon trams use a “deadman’s handle” system where brakes are applied if pressure is not kept on a lever.

Marching together: Friends and relatives of the victims paid tribute near the crash scene
PA

The video comes after the line reopened on Friday, nine days after the fatal crash.

Investigators revealed on Thursday that the vehicle was travelling at 43.5mph when it derailed - just under four times the speed restriction.

Driver Alfred Dorris, 42, has been arrested and bailed after the disaster.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "I am extremely concerned by this video. People will understandably be very worried.‎

"It is important that First Group, who operate the trams, and TfL urgently and fully investigate this. I will make sure any ‎necessary action is taken, and that all steps are taken to make sure these trams are as safe as possible."‎

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