Tram driver ‘visibly shaken’ after jury clears him over fatal Croydon crash

The driver of a Croydon tram which derailed in 2016, killing six, has been cleared of breaking health and safety laws.

Alfred Dorris, 49, was accused of heading at 43mph into a 12mph curve as he came out of a tunnel in Sandilands, south London – causing the tram to topple over and ‘fling’ passengers around ‘as though they were in a washing machine’.

Prosecutors claimed a ‘micro-sleep’ or spell of disorientation might have affected his judgment before the crash, which also severely injured 19 passengers.

Mr Dorris appeared before the Old Bailey charged with failing to take reasonable care of himself and his passengers.

The 49-year-old insisted he never lost concentration and ‘didn’t fall asleep’, saying he became confused into believing he was heading in a different direction inside the tunnel.

He blamed his confusion on a combination of factors outside his control, including poor lighting and signage in the Sandilands tunnel complex, as well as poor visibility due to bad weather.

When he realised the mistake, Mr Dorris said, he ‘went into shock’ and ‘could not do anything’ before the tram toppled, knocking him unconscious.

He continued: ‘I wanted to reach for the brake but at that stage the tram was already going over and I was thrown out of the chair and I could not do anything.’

‘I can remember being thrown from the chair to the side of the cabin and my shoulder took the impact and I hit the side of my head on the side of the cabin.

‘I can remember lying on the floor and then it goes black; I passed out, because I cannot remember the tram sliding or becoming stationary.

‘The next thing, I remember hearing voices and people kicking trying to open the cabin door.’

Mr Dorris was seen by his employer as one of its better drivers and had an ‘impeccable’ safety record, the court heard.

Speaking publicly about the crash for the first time, the driver apologised 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 you are not in control of.

‘I’m sorry that I became disorientated. I’m sorry I was not able to do anything to stop myself from becoming disorientated.

‘And I’m deeply sorry I was not able to do anything to reorientate myself and stop the tram from turning over. I’m deeply sorry.’

The driver appeared visibly shaken when the jury acquitted him following two hours of deliberations.

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

The court heard of an alleged ‘near-miss’ 10 days before the crash in an identical location at a similar time involving another driver.

Defence barrister Miles Bennett said a passenger had ‘genuinely feared for their safety’. Managers said they unaware of the alleged incident or of drivers failing to report errors.

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