Six tram drivers fell asleep at controls in years before fatal Croydon crash Alfred Dorris, 43, believed to have ‘nodded off’ as he drove into tunnel before derailment that killed seven people, inquest hears The tram derailed on a sharp bend at 6am on Nov 9, 2016 Credit: RAIB/PA Six tram drivers fell asleep at the controls in the six years leading up to the Croydon derailment in which seven people died and 51 were injured, an inquest has heard. Alfred Dorris, 43, was believed to have “nodded off” as he drove passengers into a dark tunnel before approaching a sharp left bend at 45mph on a section with a speed limit of 12mph.