Mr Rose, 46, was sitting near one of the victims Austen Kark, 75, and his wife author Nina Bawden, who was also hurt. It was enough to save my life I would suggest.
All seemed to be working. Then I started to move. Mr Rose said he looked out of the broken window and realised that the carriage was wedged on the platform. She was conscious but incoherent and Mr Rose kept talking to her until firemen entered the carriage.
Another passenger, Robert Young, said he once lived in Northern Ireland and thought a bomb had gone off when he heard a 'loud bang'. Fearing another train might plough into the wreckage, he clambered out onto the platform where he could hear noises from 'distressed' people. Australian nurse Jennifer Cox described a man being propelled towards her with his feet off the ground.
Office worker Alan Ticehurst rushed outside to help after hearing a loud noise and his building shook. There was dust and debris. There were people lying around,' he said. He found a young man who was conscious but lying across the tracks with what appeared to be a broken leg. After a few minutes the emergency services began to arrive and rescuers began climbing through windows in the carriage to help people inside.
She was walking around for a bit and then collapsed,' he said. Train driver Gordon Gibson said in a statement he realised there had been a derailment after feeling a 'dragging sensation' followed by three jolts. Accompanying him in the cab was Railtrack regional signal inspector Roger Badger, who was on a familiarisation exercise. The jury inquest in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, has heard the disaster was caused by missing bolts at a set points near the Hertfordshire station, despite two passengers reporting concerns about 'rough rides' the night before.
At the time, the case triggered a debate about whether private maintenance firms were investing too little in training and safety.
The following year Network Rail announced all track maintenance - apart from large-scale projects - would be moved in-house. In the same year a Health and Safety Executive said flawed maintenance and ineffective safety checks were to blame for the tragedy.
This was later backed by a Rail Safety and Standards Board investigation which said poor maintenance was probably the cause. Argos AO. Privacy Policy Feedback. Friday, Nov 12th 5-Day Forecast. Share this article Share. Wing Commander Martin Rose, who is based in Kuwait, said he felt a 'violent lateral judder. In addition, the performance of the four rail vehicles leading up to and during the incident was studied.
Their external condition and crashworthiness was assessed and vehicle dynamics studies were carried out to explain the behaviour of the vehicles during the incident. A limited programme of vibration testing was performed to assist in understanding the loosening of the nuts on the point. It was concluded that four main factors contributed to the failure of the point, these were: the poor condition of the backdrive; the loss of nuts from the right-hand end of the rear stretcher bar; the loss of nuts from the left-hand end of the front stretcher bar and the fracture and disengagement of the lock stretcher bar.
The point failed in such a manner that the train was being pulled into a reducing gap between the switch rails, resulting in some of the wheels climbing over the rails and eventual derailment of the rear end of the train. HSL's findings were reported in the various reports issued by the Major Incident Inquiry Board and a number of presentations were made to interested parties. A possible generic problem with the set-up of the points was identified at an early stage of the investigation and this was communicated immediately to the industry.
Both companies were accused of failings over the installation, maintenance and inspection of adjustable stretcher bars, which keep the moveable section of track points at the correct width for train wheels. However, the prosecution against Jarvis was dropped in March as its rail maintenance arm is now in administration.
Director of rail safety at ORR, Ian Prosser, said: "Today marks the end of a long process in which we have sought to gain a sense of justice for the families of the victims of the Potters Bar derailment. Network Rail spokesman PJ Taylor said: "We recognise with many that the sorrow remains and we should all pause and reflect as we remember those who lost their lives. We say again today, that we are truly sorry. Judge Bright, presiding at St Albans Crown Court, said Railtrack's procedures and standards were "seriously inadequate" and that the serious faults with the points "could and should have been identified sooner".
The company's failures had put the travelling public and train crews at the risk of serious injury, the judge said. Considering how far within Railtrack the failings went, Judge Bright said that although there were very serious failings by Jarvis, "overall responsibility for the breach of duty lay with Railtrack at senior management level and their failures were significant and extensive".
The judge said there were individuals who bore responsibility for the maintenance failures which led to the tragedy. He added: "I do not doubt that those who lost loved ones in the crash might have hoped to see those individuals held to account for their failure.
Railtrack went into administration in October after the then Transport Secretary Stephen Byers decided not to give it more taxpayers' money to fund urgently needed track upgrades. The government said Railtrack was not capable of running the railways and was insolvent without government support. Network Rail was set up as a not-for-profit organisation to take over Railtrack's responsibilities.
Network Rail has no shareholders and its debt is guaranteed by the government.
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