Seven victims of Croydon tram crash died as a result of an accident and were not unlawfully killed, inquest jury rules
The victims of the Croydon tram crash died as a result of an accident and were not unlawfully killed, the jury at the inquest into their deaths concluded today.
Seven passengers died and a further 51 were injured when the tram derailed in South London on November 9, 2016. Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Seary, 57, Dorota Rynkiewicz, 35, Robert Huxley, 63, and Philip Logan, 52, all from New Addington, and Donald Collett, 62, and Mark Smith, 35, both from Croydon, were killed in the crash.
On its tenth day of deliberations at Croydon Town Hall, the ten-person jury reached a unanimous conclusion that their deaths were a result of an accident, saying that the tram driver had become 'disorientated'.
Meanwhile it can now be reported that South London senior coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe refused to call a number of people who the victims' families wanted to give evidence about alleged safety failings.
Those potential witnesses include senior managers of operator Tram Operations Ltd - a subsidiary of FirstGroup - and Transport for London, plus other experts and tram drivers.
The victims' families will now call on the Attorney General Michael Ellis QC to apply to the High Court to grant a new inquest. They will also seek to judicially review Ms Ormond-Walshe's decision on which witnesses to call.
The seven victims of the Croydon tram crash in 2016 died as a result of an accident, a jury concluded today
(From left) Phil Seary, 57, Dane Chinnery, 19, and Donald Collett, 62, of Croydon, were all killed in the crash in 2016
(From left) Dorota Rynkiewic, 35, was also killed, as were Mark Smith, 35, Philip Logan, 52, and Robert Huxley, 63
The foreman of the jury said: 'The tram driver became disorientated, which caused loss of awareness in his surroundings, probably due to a lack of sleep.
'As a result of which, the driver failed to brake in time and drove his tram towards a tight curve at excessive speed. The tram left the rails and overturned onto its right side, as a result of which the deceased was ejected from the tram and killed.'
More to follow
The tram derailed near the Sandilands stop in Croydon, South London, on November 9, 2016, killing seven people
Family of the Croydon tram crash victims stand together outside Croydon Town Hall in South London in May