Train driver who derailed front carriage after falling asleep at controls jailed

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A driver who derailed an Overground train after falling asleep at the controls has been jailed. Erkan Mehmet, 44, and of Middle Street, Waltham Abbey, pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of the railway at Inner London Crown Court and on Friday, July 7.

He was sentenced him to sixteen weeks in prison. On 12 October 2021, Mehmet was driving a London Overground train to Enfield Town.

As the train entered platform two, it failed to stop and crashed into the buffers causing the front carriage to derail. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Pictures from the scene show the carriage came completely off the tracks and stuck approximately five feet in the air at an angle.

There were approximately 50 passengers on board at the time, a small number of which reported minor injuries and shock. As is routine, Mehmet was breathalysed at the scene and blew negative, however a urine sample showed a presence of cocaine in his system at the time with a reading of 1,250 ng/mL.