Croydon tram disaster trial hears of alleged ‘near miss’ 10 days earlier

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Croydon tram passenger allegedly feared for their safety in a “near miss” 10 days before a derailment killed seven people and injured many more, a court has heard. On Wednesday, Sarah Claypole, who was a senior manager at the time, told jurors she was unaware of an alleged “near miss” on October 31 2016 or of drivers failing to report errors. On 31 October 2016, some nine to 10 days before, a passenger indicated such was their concerns that they genuinely feared for their safety Defence barrister Miles Bennett Defence barrister Miles Bennett asked: “Are you now aware since the incident there was a near miss in an identical location at a similar time on October 31 with another driver?” Mrs Claypole replied: “No, I was not aware of that.” Mr Bennett asked what she would have done if she had been alerted “that a driver had gone round the corner at Sandilands at such a speed that the wheels on the left-hand side of the tram actually lifted off the track”. Mr Bennett asserted: “On 31 October 2016, some nine to 10 days before, a passenger indicated such was their concerns that they genuinely feared for their safety.” After the derailment, Mrs Claypole told jurors that safety measures were put in place while being careful to avoid a “knee-jerk reaction” that was not sustainable.