The driver of the Croydon tram crash has been excused for ‘failing to take reasonable care’ of passengers

A driver has been cleared over the Croydon tram disaster in which seven passengers were killed and 21 others seriously injured.

Alfred Dorris, 49, appeared visibly shaken when an Old Bailey jury acquitted him of failing to take “reasonable care” for the health and safety of himself and his 69 passengers on tram 2551 in November 2016.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours on Monday to reach the unanimous verdict, following a prosecution brought by the Office for Road and Rail (ORR).

Transport for London (TfL) and Tram Operations Limited (ToL) have previously admitted health and safety offenses relating to significant failings before the catastrophic derailment and will be sentenced at a later date.

Families of the victims sat in Court One of the Old Bailey or attended the trial via video link from Croydon.

The people who died were Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Seary, 57, Dorota Rynkiewicz, 35, Robert Huxley, 63, and Philip Logan, 52, all of New Addington, and Donald Collett, 62, and Mark Smith, 35, both from Croydon.

The court heard that Dorris, from Beckenham, south London, was traveling three times the speed limit when his tram derailed at a sharp corner in Sandilands, south London, on the morning of November 9, 2016 .

Dorris denied having a “micro-sleep” and said he became disoriented in the tunnel on the approach to the curve, thinking he was going the other way.

He put his confusion down to a combination of external factors, including poor lighting and signaling in the Sandilands tunnel complex, darkness and bad weather.

When he realized his fatal mistake, the tram was already overturning and he was thrown from his seat, causing him to hit his head and pass out, he said.

Speaking publicly about the crash for the first time, the driver apologized to the victims’ families and survivors during his tearful evidence at the Old Bailey.

He told them, “I’m a human being, and sometimes as a human being, things happen to you that are beyond your control.

“I’m sorry I became disoriented. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to stop myself from becoming disoriented.

“And I deeply regret that there was nothing I could do to reorient myself and stop the tram from overturning. I am deeply sorry.”

The court heard that it had been a wet and wintry morning when tram 2551 boarded the route from New Addington to Wimbledon via East Croydon.

At a sharp left-hand bend on the approach to Sandilands, drivers are instructed to reduce their speed to 12 mph (20 km/h) to negotiate the curve safely, with a sign on the bend confirming this.

Dorris was traveling at over 43 mph (70 km/h), which caused the inner wheels to come off the track and the streetcar to overturn.

Survivors described being “thrown” like into a washing machine or pinball machine, then a moment of silence before people started screaming and shouting.

Dorris was found in his cabin with his eyes closed and a passenger calling for him to “wake up”.

When he came, he said, “I’m sorry, guys. Everybody is fine? I saw something in front of the tram.”

Dorris broke down in court as she recalled the moments before the tragedy, saying: “I was like in shock. I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to reach for the brake but at that stage the tram was already passing and I was thrown from the seat and could not do anything.

“I remember being thrown from my seat to the side of the cab and my shoulder taking the impact and hitting the side of my head on the side of the cab.

“I remember laying on the floor and then it goes black; I passed out, because I don’t remember the tram sliding or stopping.

“The next thing I remember hearing voices and people kicking trying to open the cabin door.”

Prosecutor Jonathan Ashley-Norman KC said it was an “accident waiting to happen”.

He told jurors: “Whether due to micro-sleep, or otherwise disorientation, or a combination of the two, Mr Dorris failed to comply with the most basic requirements of the driver of a vehicle of passengers. , namely remaining alert and attentive to commands.”

Dorris was described as having an “unblemished” record and was seen as one of the best drivers around.

The court heard about an alleged “near miss” 10 days before the derailment at an identical location at a similar time involving another driver.

Defense lawyer Miles Bennett said a passenger “genuinely feared for their safety”.

But Sarah Claypole, who was a senior manager at the time, told jurors she had no knowledge of the alleged incident or that the drivers had not reported any errors.

It was also suggested that other “environmental and external factors beyond his control” related to the infrastructure around the Sandilands area combined to cause the defendant’s disorientation.

Jurors at the Old Bailey were not told that an inquest in 2021 concluded that the victims died as a result of an accident and were not unlawfully killed.

At the time, several members of the victims’ families left the room at Croydon Town Hall in tears and there were calls for a new inquest with more witnesses called to testify about the alleged safety failings.

Dorris had been excused from the inquest because he was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

ORR said in a statement: “We have carried out an extensive, detailed and thorough investigation and have taken the decision to prosecute Transport for London (TfL), Tram Operations Limited (ToL) and driver Alfred Dorris for what we believe to be serious about health and safety. deficiencies related to the Croydon tram derailment.

“The trial of Alfred Dorris has ended today, we note the decision made and will review this accordingly.

“Transport for London (TfL) and Tram Operations Limited (ToL) entered guilty pleas in 2022 and will be sentenced at a later date.

“Our thoughts remain with those affected by the tragedy.”