RAIL workers today remember the Tebay tragedy which took the lives of four workers on February 15 2004.
During a night shift, an out-of-control 16-tonne steel wagon rolled down the West Coast Main Line reaching speeds of 40 mph before colliding with several track workers.
Tragically, four workers died and another five were injured in the collision.
Following the incident, Mark Connolly, the boss of the rail maintenance company, MAC Machinery Services, and crane operator Roy Kennett were tried at Newcastle Crown Court on charges of manslaughter caused by gross negligence. Connolly was also prosecuted for breaches of health and safety law. Both men were found guilty by majority verdicts. Connolly was sentenced to nine years imprisonment and Kennett to two years.
The RMT Union highlighted the anniversary of the tragedy as a reason to push for safety standards and to hold private contractors to account.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "We remember these tragedies not only as a mark of respect for our comrades but in order to campaign for proper safety standards, to ensure this never happens again."
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