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Following yesterday’s train crash in Salisbury, Novum Law, which has an office in Salisbury, is relieved to hear that there were no fatalities when two passenger trains collided just outside Fisherton Tunnel, close to London Road.
According to news reports, 13 people were treated at Salisbury District Hospital last night (Sunday 31 October 2021). Of those, four were admitted, one was discharged, and three remain as in-patients but in a stable condition. The “walking wounded” were taken to a casualty centre at St Mark’s Church in St Mark’s Avenue in Salisbury.
Investigators are urgently trying to establish the cause of the collision between the two trains. It is believed the rear carriage of a Great Western Railway train running between Portsmouth Harbour and Bristol Temple Meads struck an object on its approach to Salisbury station and came off the rails.
The derailment appears to have damaged signalling in the area, and shortly afterwards, a South Western Railway train travelling from London Waterloo to Honiton crashed into it.
Around 50 firefighters were called to the scene from across Wiltshire and Hampshire, including ambulances from South Western and South Central services.
Martin Frobisher, the group safety and engineering director at Network Rail told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
“We’re hugely relieved that nobody was seriously injured, but the passengers must have had a really scary experience, and we’re very sorry for that.
“We’re obviously starting now a very detailed and forensic investigation into what happened. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is on-site, and they’re incredibly thorough in the work that they do.
“And that’ll help us learn from this, and that’s why these events are very rare, because we follow it up very, very carefully, and make sure that we do everything possible to prevent it for the future.”
Tom Hartigan, a personal injury solicitor at Novum Law, who lives in Salisbury and supports people injured in accidents, said:
“The images and video footage of the collision were horrific, and we can only be extremely thankful that there were no fatalities. The emergency services were on the scene quickly and performed heroically to evacuate and attend to everyone involved.
“While serious train crashes are fortunately an infrequent occurrence, a major incident like this is a reminder of the vital importance of safety on the railways. With the investigation into how the accident happened underway, it will be crucial in the days and weeks to follow to fully understand the causes to prevent it from happening in the future. Our thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by this traumatic event.”
