Spomen ploca Mirogojska tramvajska nesreca

On 31 October 1954, in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, a

tram accident A tram accident is any accident involving a tram. Alternatively, any accident involving a tram or a tram system may be considered a tram accident. The latter definition is more commonly used in public safety studies. Tram systems are typically c ...

happened on Mirogoj Road, a steep road leading from Medveščak Street to Mirogoj Cemetery. A

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

lost control during descent and crashed, killing 19 passengers, while 37 were injured, making this one of the worst tram accidents in the world.

Events

At 8:30 in the morning, the M-24 tram left garage no. 21 traveling on line 13 which was, at the time, the relation between Mirogoj and Šoštarićeva Street (several hundred metres east of Ban Jelačić Square). The tram traveled downhill from Mirogoj towards the intersection Gupčeva Zvijezda. About 60 people had boarded the tram at Mirogoj, having been to the cemetery in preparation of

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are know ...

. The driver released the parking brake and started to descend the hill. Upon reaching the first curve, he attempted to apply the track brake to no effect. He then used the emergency brake, which releases sand onto the tracks in order to increase

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...

, but the tram was going too fast to stop. It continued to pick up speed until the last curve, near Gupčeva Zvijezda, where it derailed, rolled over and skidded into a street light, uprooting and dragging along several trees in the process. The tram's speed was estimated at , five times the speed limit. People waiting for the tram at the nearby stop provided

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...

, along with doctors and nurses from a nearby hospital, while stopped car and

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

drivers drove the injured to hospitals. The department for

blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but mo ...

did not work on Sundays at the time, but opened to accept the tram passengers. During the investigation that followed, it was discovered that the tram was involved in another accident earlier that day, where it had hit a horse carriage, but later continued towards Mirogoj. A smaller-than-expected amount of sand was recovered on Mirogoj Road, which might have been due to the earlier accident. Tram traffic was suspended indefinitely along Mirogoj Road as a result of the accident. It was reinstated in 1964, the trams equipped with four types of brakes this time, and suspended again on 15 May 1967 to be replaced with buses. The tracks were removed in 1970s.

References

{{Coord, 45.828832, 15.979976, type:event_region:HR-21, display=title, format=dms 1950s in Zagreb 1954 in Croatia Derailments in Croatia Tram accidents Railway accidents in 1954 October 1954 events in Europe

Events

See also

References