THE driver of a tram that killed seven and seriously injured 19 when it derailed may have "fallen asleep" before the crash, a court heard today.
69 passengers were onboard the Croydon tramlink when it careered off tracks and overturned in South London on November 9, 2016.
Alfred Dorris, 49, had taken a bend near Sandilands at 40mph when the speed limit was 12mph before the horror exploded.
The impact killed Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Logan, 52, Philip Seary, 57, Dorota Rynkiewicz, 35, and Robert Huxley, 63, all from nearby New Addington.
While Mark Smith, 35, and Donald Collett, 62, both from Croydon, also died.
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61 were injured, with only one escaping uninjured, in the Tram 2551 smash between New Addington via East Croydon to Wimbledon on the "wintery, dark and rainy" day.
Prosecutor Jonathan Ashley-Norman, KC, told the Old Bailey on Wednesday how "windows smashed and doors ripped off" when the tram overturned.
He added: "Those who died were ejected through broken windows and trapped between the overturned tram and the track.
"The sole issue in this trial will be whether the defendant took reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and his passengers."
Dorris claims he had become "confused" and "disorientated" and did not know if he was travelling east or west before the deadly crash.
Mr Ashley-Norman also told jurors how following the derailment, Dorris told police: "It just sort of crept up on me.
"One minute I'm okay driving and then the next just thinking, where am I, what's going on, sort of... I'm not sure where I am.
"I couldn't tell the difference between you know what, eastbound, westbound."
Jurors will hear from experts who will say Dorris had a "micro-sleep".
But Mr Ashley-Norman said the issue was not whether the driver fell asleep, but whether he took reasonable care for the health and safety of his passengers.
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He added: "Mr Dorris was not solely responsible for health and safety failures at Sandilands.
"As we shall hear, others, principally Transport for London and Tram Operations Limited, also failed in the discharge of their health and safety duties in the running of the Croydon tram network.
"However, their failures do not exonerate Mr Dorris."
Dorris denies a single charge of failing to take reasonable care at work under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The trial is due to go on for up to five weeks.
