"
I had the impression of a bombardment in Brétigny
": questioned Thursday by the court on the first findings after the derailment, a former local SNCF official recalled an "
impressive
" scene, similar to a "
bombardment
".
Read alsoInvestigation into the Brétigny accident: the forcing of the SNCF
On Friday July 12, 2013, the disassembly and reversal of a steel fishplate - a sort of large staple that joins two rails together - derailed an Intercités train, which was traveling at 137km/h for an authorized speed of 150km/h.
Seven people were killed and 400 others injured.
“Impressive” scene
From Friday evening, this "
track expertise center
" manager made the first observations and wrote an initial report with three other colleagues, then sent it to their superiors.
Arrived at 8:15 p.m. on the scene, he discovered an "
impressive
" scene: "
I had the impression of a bombardment in Brétigny
", he indicated before the court which was interested Thursday afternoon in the first findings from the scene of the drama.
“
An impressive scene, everything was ripped off
,” he added.
From that evening, he evoked the probable scenario of the jamming of the joint: "
the derailment was caused in an almost certain way by the rise of the axles which stumbled on a joint joint stuck in the heart of the track
", according to this report displayed to the audience.
Breakage of bolts
According to his first observations, the locomotive and the first three cars of the train did not derail "
because the joint bar moved after
" their passage.
"
I have never seen a side reversal in my 38-year career
," said Thursday this former local manager, "
lane expert
" at the time.
For the experts appointed by the justice, the train derailed because of a disassembly of the splint, linked to a rupture of bolts "
by fatigue
".
Of the four bolts of the splint, this man claims to have seen on the evening of July 13 "
the third bolt missing, with an oxidized hole
".
“
The first and second bolts were found with no apparent signs of impact near the joint
,” he says in this report.
Read alsoBrétigny derailment: the double standard of the judicial investigation
According to him, the splint was therefore held that day by the fourth bolt only.
A second witness will be heard Friday on these findings.
Until June 17, the criminal court of Évry must establish the responsibilities of the national company SNCF, SNCF Réseau and a framework in this derailment.
