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A JURY has been sworn in ahead of the three month-long inquest into the deaths of seven people killed in a Croydon tram crash.
Coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe held a minute’s silence for the victims on the first day of the inquest at Croydon Town Hall today.
The first evidence in the inquest will be heard on Tuesday, with the hearing expected to run until August.
In addition to the deaths, 51 people were injured when the derailment happened in south London on November 9 2016.
The inquest was initially due to begin in October 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
An investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that driver Alfred Dorris may have been in a “microsleep” for up to 49 seconds before the tram came off the tracks on a sharp bend at almost four times the speed limit.
Jean Smith, mother of 35-year-old crash victim Mark Smith, said she felt “relief” that the inquiry is finally taking place, but is also “dreading it.”
Mr Dorris was arrested at the scene of the crash, but charges of gross negligence and manslaughter were later dropped by British Transport Police.
