Croydon commemorated the fourth anniversary of the Croydon tram crash yesterday, with a moving ceremony outside Croydon Town Hall.
Seven people lost their lives in the accident and more than 60 people were injured, as a tram came off the tracks near the Sandilands Tram Stop in Croydon just after 6:00am on 9 November 2016.
Dane Chinnery, Donald Collett, Robert Huxley, Philip Logan, Dorota Rynkiewicz, Philip Seary and Mark Smith were all remembered in the annual ceremony, which due to Covid-19 was held at the town hall, rather than the usual gathering at the New Addington memorial.
Councillor Hamida Ali, Leader of the Council, said: “The Sandilands tram derailment devastated many people across our borough and shocked the country, and our thoughts remain with those who lost their lives and everyone still affected by this tragedy.
“As with Remembrance Sunday, the Covid-19 lockdown means we cannot commemorate this anniversary in the way we have done in the past, but it is important that we still remember this terrible incident and pay tribute to its victims.”
A short civic ceremony took place with a moment of silence led by Croydon Mayor Councillor Maddie Henson, who also laid flowers at the memorial, and the town hall’s borough flag was flown at half-mast.
Whilst normally the ceremony is open to members of the public, due to lockdown restrictions it was attended this year only by families of the victims and council representatives, with other council staff joining remotely.
A 12-week inquest into the incident was due to start in October, but has been pushed back due to the coronavirus.
The driver of the tram was confirmed not to face any charges last year, after a report found that he fell asleep going almost four times the legal speed limit at the time of the accident.
