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Crash prompts safety probe

Ostrava trams collide in a fatal accident, investigation continues

By Markéta Hulpachová
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 16th, 2008 issue

Inspectors are investigating rail safety mechanisms in the aftermath of an April 11 tram collision in Ostrava, north Moravia, that left three people dead and 35 injured.
The accident occurred on a one-rail track, where two trams traveling at approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) per hour crashed in a head-on collision.
After three hours of rescuing passengers from the wreckage, firefighters reported the deaths of a 4-year-old boy and a 79-year-old man. The third victim, a woman, died later in the hospital, according to Czech Television.
Although it was still too early to determine the official cause of the collision as of press time, human error was probably to blame, said Zdeněk Neusar, spokesman for the regional Rail Safety Inspection Office (DI).
“One of the drivers drove onto the track without waiting for the scheduled signal,” he said. “It is also possible that he got permission from the directing dispatcher.”
Upon seeing the other oncoming tram, both drivers immediately began to brake, but it was too late to prevent the accident, Neusar said, adding that one of the drivers jumped out immediately before the collision.
In the weeks ahead, the inspectorate will continue to conduct a full-scale investigation into the cause of the accident, probe the wreckage and interview the employees involved.
To ensure future safety on the track, transport officials will implement a stricter “announcement responsibility,” requiring drivers to obtain permission from dispatchers before entering the track. By the end of the year, a safety mechanism preventing unmonitored entry should be installed, Neusar said.
Prior to the accident, the track operated on a remote communication basis, requiring the driver to obtain permission to enter the track by telephoning a dispatcher, without the physical presence of a conductor. On one-lane tracks throughout the country, such systems are the least secure but are currently the most widely used, Neusar said.
While the DI plans to encourage the implementation of more effective safety mechanisms in the future, he added it was not possible to blame the current system for the collision.
“On the one hand, we’re glad that this has incited a discussion on the [effectiveness] of current mechanisms,” Neusar said. “On the other hand, the system itself is safe — if the rules had been followed, no such accident would have happened.”

Markéta Hulpachová can be reached at mhulpachova@praguepost.com


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