First lawsuit of Tempe victim’s relatives heard

The first lawsuit by relatives of a victim of the Tempe train collision in central Greece on February 28, 2023, was heard in the Athens Court of First Instance on Friday. 

The claim is for each of them to be compensated with 240,000 euros for moral damages and mental anguish, which amounts to more than €1 million, as there are five plaintiffs. 

It is also anticipated that other relatives will also appeal to the courts to obtain at least some moral vindication through compensation. 

During the hearing, Epaminondas Bouras, a forensic specialist in railway accidents, testified as an expert witness on behalf of the relatives of the victim, a train inspector. 

He explained how the collision between the passenger and freight trains occurred and what the responsibilities of the stationmaster and others who were in charge on that fateful night were. 

He also referred to the non-implementation of the famous 717 contract pertaining to signaling and remote railway control projects, stressing that if the railway had been modernized, the human error that led to the crash would not have had the same tragic results.

Regarding the suspicions that the freight train may have been carrying some flammable material, the expert said the investigation must continue to determine exactly what that material was and how much it contributed, if indeed it did, to the magnitude of the tragedy.

The case on the part of the victims was argued by Panagiotis Athanasopoulos, an honorary senior judge who is now a lawyer.

The Tempe crash was the deadliest rail disaster in Greek history, and cost the lives of 57 people, leaving scores injured.

It occurred when the IC62 passenger train had been allowed to proceed on the wrong track and pass signals despite the presence of the freight train on the same stretch of track coming from the opposite direction.