Dutch prosecutors seek no punishment for tram driver after fatal collision

Prosecutors have asked a court in The Hague to find a tram driver guilty over a fatal collision in March 2024 but impose no punishment. The court is due to rule on 20 November.

The 44-year-old driver, identified as Paul A., was driving when his tram ran over a 37-year-old man who had lain down on the tracks. The man was dragged for hundreds of metres as the tram travelled, causing it to derail. He died.

The prosecutor said A. had made “an error of judgement with fatal consequences”. According to the prosecution, he could have seen the man, who was wearing dark clothing and a light-coloured cap, and should have left the tram to check what was beneath it.

The man had been put off a tram shortly beforehand and then began damaging a shelter, the report said. He crossed a track and lay between two rails near a platform. Why he did so is not known. The collision was recorded by a camera at the Polish embassy.

The prosecution said it had taken into account the length of time the case had taken, its impact on A. and the fact that the victim had lain on the track. A. said he thought there was a rubbish bag beneath the tram. His lawyer argued that prosecutors had lost the right to pursue the case because of alleged errors in the investigation.

Investigators found that A. was not looking at his phone and was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He had no previous traffic convictions and had worked for public transport operator HTM for 14 years.

After a colleague told him what had happened, A. said, “My world fell apart.” He added: “I don’t know what else I could have done. That doesn’t make it any less terrible, because a person has died.”