Croydon tram crash driver exchanged waves with colleague before tragedy, court told

The driver in the fatal Croydon tram disaster was a "special guy" who exchanged waves with a colleague before his carriage derailed, killing seven passengers, a court has heard.

49-year-old Alfred Dorris is on trial at the Old Bailey over the fatal incident at Sandilands in south London on November 9 2016.

Giving evidence on Thursday, fellow driver Keith Crump recalled how he had been coming back from Elmers End around to Sandiland when he saw Dorris's tram.

He told jurors: "On the right-hand side was Alf's tram. He was going to New Addington. We exchanged waves and that was it. He was always pleasant."

Later, the power went off and he found out there had been an accident.

He agreed with Dorris's barrister that he was "always friendly" and gave an "exaggerated wave".

Mr Crump added that he was a "special guy".

He also agreed that Dorris was always smartly turned out, immaculate, pleasant and professional.

He said he had never heard of any concerns about his driving before the crash and was "totally" shocked to learn Dorris was the driver.

Mr Crump told jurors the conditions that day had been "awful".

He said: "I was going a lot more slowly and a lot more cautious because the rain was very heavy. It was very dark. Sometimes it can cause distractions. You are just extra careful."

The court also heard from passenger Joseph McKoy - who boarded Dorris's tram at New Addington, sat down and put head phones on to read or listen to the news before disaster struck.

He said: "I used the phone as a torch to see what was going on in the driver's cabin. I decided to have a look to see the state of the driver.

"I could not see too much. I could make out the driver was not responsive. I started shouting to get the attention of the driver. I remember kicking the glass."

Mr McKoy said that when the driver came round, he said: "What happened. I must have blacked out."

The prosecution alleged Dorris may have had a "micro-sleep" at the time of the crash or became "disorientated".

Dorris, from Beckenham, south London, denies failing to take "reasonable care" of the health and safety of himself and his 69 passengers on Tram 2551 on that day.

Yesterday - on the first day of the trial - the court heard Dorris was driving at three times the speed limit - at more than 70kmh - around a curve when the vehicle derailed.