A 55-year-old tram driver will appear in the Zurich District Court this week, accused of ‘negligent homicide’ after an elderly American tourist was hit and killed by the tram.
The incident happened on October 30th, 2023, when the tram driver collided with an 85-year-old tourist from the United States.
As the man was crossing the street and tramway tracks (reportedly without looking left or right), the pedestrian did not notice the approaching tram – even though the driver sounded the warning bell 23 metres before the accident site.
However, the tram did not slow down after sounding the bell but travelled at the same speed as before, reports say. The driver then had to brake abruptly, but was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the man.
The pedestrian was thrown to the ground by the impact, and suffered a severe brain trauma.
He died in the hospital four days later.
‘Avoidable’ tragedy
The Zurich public prosecutor’s office filed charges of negligent homicide, arguing that the driver “did not do everything possible” to prevent the collision – that is, he continued driving at the same speed until he applied the emergency brakes.
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But the collision could have been avoided if the driver had reduced his speed and braked earlier, the prosecutor said.
However, the prison sentence is not expected in this case.
The prosecution is seeking a suspended fine of 90 daily rates of 120 francs – 10,800 francs in total
