Richmond rail crash driver reveals his distress over injured passengers
THE driver at the centre of the shocking Richmond rail crash has spoken of his distress after 16 passengers were injured when his out-of-control train slammed into a buffer.
NSW
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THE driver at the centre of the shocking Richmond rail crash has spoken of his distress after 16 passengers were injured when his out-of-control train slammed into a buffer.
With his injured right leg still bandaged, Ritesh Mittal revealed life had been difficult for him since the crash.
“I feel bad for the passengers but talk to Sydney Trains about what happened,” he said, speaking of last month’s accident for the first time. “It’s been really hard for me, I’m just trying to continue life as normal and go for walks with my family.”
Yesterday the 39-year-old was seen taking a morning stroll with wife Nisha and their two young children at a park near their home in Glenwood.
The outing comes as the Office of Transport Safety Investigations spearheads a probe by three groups into the crash, which left 16 passengers injured, three seriously.
Among the injured were a 77-year-old woman, who suffered a broken shoulder and collarbone, a man, 22, who sustained a broken femur, and woman, 69, who battled severe whiplash.
The train left Leppington and travelled through its stations before crashing shortly before 10am with witnesses reporting carriages that “came up the air like a pyramid.”
Sydney Trains maintains it is too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.
The probe involving the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has called for witnesses to the crash labelled “serious”.
Experts are poring over CCTV footage to piece together what happened on January 22 with a view to publishing an interim report by the end of the year.
The crash coincided with the rail union’s decision that day to strike over pay two days later throwing the rail network into chaos.
Sydney Trains have taken Mr Mittal off driver duties in a move a spokesman described as “standard procedure”.
Passengers were sent “flying through the air like Superman” in the crash.
Rail commuters have been warned more travel chaos could follow with rail unions threatening overtime bans if the NSW Government refuses to negotiate its pay offer.
Another meeting with unions and Sydney Trains negotiating team is slated for Wednesday, with a view to breaking the stalemate over pay and conditions.
A major transport rally is being organised in Sydney for frustrated train drivers to join protesters against the West Connex and bus privatisation on February 17.