Tram which hit and killed pensioner in Sheffield 'was travelling at 13mph'
A tram which hit and killed a pensioner in Sheffield was travelling at around 13mph, accident investigators have revealed.
An 81-year-old man was hit near the Woodbourn Road tram stop on December 22 and died in hospital the following day.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) announced today that it had launched an investigation into the fatal collision.
It said the pedestrian had just got off an inbound tram at around 10am that day when he was struck by an outbound tram from Sheffield city centre to Meadowhall as he attempted to cross the tracks at the northern end of the Woodbourn Road tram stop.
The tram which hit him was travelling through the stop at around 13mph as no passengers had requested it to come to a halt.
The RAIB said "Our investigation will seek to identify the sequence of events which led to the accident and consider any factors which may have influenced the actions of the tram driver and the pedestrian. It will also consider any relevant underlying management factors.
"Our investigation is independent of any investigation by Stagecoach Supertram, the Office of Rail and Road, or South Yorkshire Police."It will publish its findings, including any safety recommendations, at the conclusion of the investigation.