According to the inspection, the cause of the tram collision in Pilsen was the delayed reaction of the driver

The delayed reaction of the driver to the unexpected stop of the train in front of him was the main cause of the tram collision in Pilsen last October 19, in which 19 people were injured. Tram line number 4, which was going up a slight hill along Karlovarská třída shortly after noon, ran into the back of a stationary set of line number 1. The Railway Inspectorate (DI) stated this in its final report.

The total damage is 1.364 million crowns, its amount is not final. The inspection did not find any other factor that could have contributed to the accident, and did not issue any safety recommendations.

DI discovered that tram line number 1 stopped after traveling 134 meters from the Pod Záhorskem stop. The driver’s warning signal, activated by the passengers, came on due to the fingers of the woman’s hand being closed in the door after boarding the tram. The driver responded to the signals from the passengers, braked, ran to the other end of the tram, tried to release the clamped hand, but could not, and therefore ran to the cabin to open the door centrally. After being hit by the second tram, according to the report, she fell and did not remember anything.

According to the report, the driver of line number 4 took off after the departure of the previous train from the stop, as he has been doing for 12 years. Looking in the mirrors, he checked that everything was in order and that the signal for driving to the intersection was “clear”, he made another visual check in the mirrors, and when he turned his head in the direction of travel, he saw a tram standing just in front of him and crashed into it, she said message.

It was a straight section of the track in Karlovarská street with a clear area behind the intersection of Karlovarská and Bolevecká streets, there were no repairs or maintenance at the site. During the extraordinary event, the driver of tram line number 1 and 18 passengers in both trams were injured. According to the rescuers’ statement at the time, the people suffered mostly minor injuries, the tram driver was moderately injured. All components of the integrated rescue system with approximately 30 vehicles intervened, car and tram traffic on Karlovarská třída stopped for almost three hours.

“The police continue to deal with the case, they are examining all the circumstances and they are waiting for the results of expert opinions. The accident is not closed, criminal proceedings are still ongoing in the case,” said police spokeswoman Michaela Raindlová.

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