Seven minutes to tram tragedy

A Metrolink tram

AN elderly woman was seen wandering along Oldham’s tram tracks seven minutes before she was hit and killed, an inquest heard.

Dementia sufferer Catherine Kenny (85) was struck as she walked along the track between Hollinwood and Failsworth at 10:32pm on February 6.

CCTV footage revealed she got off a tram at Hollinwood station an hour ealier and had spent time walking back and forth on the pedestrian crossing connecting the two platforms before making her way a mile along the tracks to Failsworth.

She was spotted by tram driver Glynn Miles about seven minutes before she was struck, the Oldham inquest was told.

Mr Miles was driving a tram to Failsworth at 10:24pm and saw what he believed to be a man about 6ft from the track. Mr Miles had in fact seen Mrs Kenny. He called the Metrolink control room a minute later to say what he had seen. The control room called the nearest driver, Andrew Hall, who was travelling at the same time as Mr Miles but in the opposite direction.

He didn’t reply and was called again a short time later. He said he hadn’t seen anyone and was driving with extra caution.

But Mrs Kenny was still on the track and a minute later a tram driven driven by Daniel Hall struck Mrs Kenny 180 yards from Failsworth station.

Mr Hall, now a bus driver, said he hadn’t been contacted before the impact. An investigator for Greater Manchester Police revealed that Mr Hall had started to apply his brakes on approach to Failsworth station and added his emergency brake within two seconds of Mrs Kenny coming into view.

Mrs Kenny’s daughter, Catherine Young said her mother lived in a warden-controlled flat in Old Trafford and had been diagnosed with dementia a few months prior to her death.

Mrs Young described her as “a strong-willed woman with a strong character”, and suggested her proud nature led her at time to miss taking medication. She had been behaving more erratically in the weeks leading up to her death.

The inquest continues.