The mayor of Arad, Kelin Bibarc, reacted to the case of a woman who died after being dragged by a tram, saying that the conductor had “every opportunity to see the station and not leave it until he made sure that all the passengers were boarded”.

• “Obviously, this is a tragic event. (…) This is a human error of whatman. What you see on the cameras is also visible in the mirror, the camera is next to the mirror.
• If he also looked in the mirror, he would see what the cameras are showing now. He would not start or could stop in time (…)
• We cannot replace all people and human errors. (…)
• It is the conductor’s duty not to leave the station until he is satisfied that all passengers have boarded or all passengers have disembarked, as the case may be.
• This is human error. He had every opportunity to see and not start,” Celin Bibarc told Euronews Romania.

When asked why there are no ramps to facilitate the access of people with disabilities to all types of public transport, Mayor Arad explained that half of the city’s tram fleet has been modernized.

How the tragedy happened

The accident happened on Monday at the tram station on Calea Aurel Vlaicu in Arad, and the moment of the tragedy was recorded by video cameras installed in the tram, some of the images caused a strong emotional impact.

The 55-year-old woman was accompanied by her disabled daughter, who was in a wheelchair, and everything happened when the woman tried to lower the chair in which the child was, according to specialarad.ro.

However, Whatman closed the tram door without realizing what was happening, so the wheelchair got stuck between the tram doors and the woman was left outside, holding on to the seat, according to specialarad.ro. She did not let go of the chair even after the public transport started, the victim was pulled by a tram.

The footage recorded by the video cameras installed in the tram makes a strong emotional impression.