DistantNews
Support us
🇬🇷 Greece /Crime & Justice

Tempi trial hears testimony from family of passenger train driver

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The widow of driver Georgios Koutsoumpas, one of the 57 victims, became the first witness in the evidentiary phase of the Tempi rail disaster trial.
  • She said her husband had worked as a driver since 1981 and had been planning to retire, while disputing references to his health made during a parliamentary inquiry.
  • His daughter described earlier railway faults, communication problems and an 11-minute gap in recordings before the crash, and criticized Hellenic Train for failing to notify the family.

The widow of train driver Georgios Koutsoumpas became the first witness in the trial over Greece's Tempi rail disaster, opening the evidentiary phase with an account of a husband who had expected to retire soon.

In one night, all of this was lost.

· Widow of Georgios KoutsoumpasShe described the loss of her husband's future plans and life after the disaster.

Koutsoumpas, 59, was one of the 57 victims. His widow told the court that he had worked as a train driver since 1981 and had extensive experience. "In one night, all of this was lost," she testified. She also answered questions about his health and about references to it during Parliament's investigative committee on Tempi.

She said he had suffered a serious health problem in 2017 but recovered successfully and continued undergoing regular medical examinations so he could work. Regarding the parliamentary discussion, she said personal data had been presented without the doctors' final conclusion that he was fit to work. She added that the attention surrounding the report forced her to stop working and said, "No one apologized."

No one apologized.

· Widow of Georgios KoutsoumpasShe referred to the fallout from references to her husband's health during the parliamentary inquiry.

His daughter then testified about problems her father had previously reported in the railway system, including a train engine fire and frequent interruptions in the VHF communications system. "I knew about the problems, but I did not know their extent," she said.

I knew about the problems, but I did not know their extent.

· Daughter of Georgios KoutsoumpasShe described her understanding of railway problems before the crash.

She told the court that she spoke with her father at about 9 p.m. on February 28, when he said the train was delayed because of a fault. A colleague later informed the family about the crash. She criticized Hellenic Train, saying, "Hellenic Train was nowhere to be found. It did not take steps to identify its employees or inform us. Apparently, they were expendable." She also described efforts to have audio recordings seized and examined, focusing on an 11-minute gap in communications between stationmasters and drivers after the train left Larissa and before the crash. Her testimony was due to continue the following day.

Hellenic Train was nowhere to be found. It did not take steps to identify its employees or inform us. Apparently, they were expendable.

· Daughter of Georgios KoutsoumpasShe criticized the company's handling of notification and support for the victims' families.
About this summary

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog