The RAIB have released a Safety Digest into a passenger dragging incident which occurred at Beeston on 22nd February 2023. The incident happened after a man put his walking stick in the doors to prevent them from closing but the driver of the tram was unaware and started to set off from the tramstop.
The incident happened at 1804 on Wednesday 22nd February. The man placed his walking stick in the doors just as they were closing in an attempt to prevent this from happening and so it could board but as they closed the walking stick become stuck and the driver was not aware of this. The passenger held onto the walking stick as the tram departed and was pulled alongside the tram for around three seconds before falling against the tram and landing on the edge of the tramstop. He suffered serious injuries.
The RAIB have concluded that the accident happened because the driver was not aware that the walking stick was trapped in the doors and that the passenger was holding on to the stick when they proceeded to depart from the stop. The walking stick was not detected by the door obstacle detection system once the doors had closed and in their final checks before departure the driver didn’t notice that the man and his stick were stuck.
A full report has not been deemed necessary with a safety digest released instead which has included the following safety reminders:
- The importance that tram drivers complete an effective final visual safety check, using CCTV and other equipment to the best possible extent, to ensure it is safe to depart from a tramstop
- That tram drivers are not relying on door closed indications as confirmation that it is safe to move a tram – obstacle detection systems are not always capable of detecting objects trapped in closed and locked door
- That tram operating companies effectively monitor compliance with operating rules