Tavira: Elderly man is fatally run over by train

An elderly man in his 80’s was hit by a train in Vale Caranguejo, Tavira, yesterday evening around 8pm killed on Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the scene, including 14 firefighters from Tavira, the PSP and INEM. The man was declared dead on the spot.

This accident comes as reports hit the newspapers of Portuguese train drivers being exhausted and traumatised, almost all doing overtime. A massive 65% of train drivers have already been involved in accidents with fatalities.

The rotating work schedules resulting in drivers being tired, and the poor quality of the material they operate are the main problems, say Portuguese railway drivers. Workers in this sector feel overwhelmed by overtime, without time for the family, afraid of failing and traumatised by serious accidents in which they were involved.

According to data from the studies “National Survey on Living and Working Conditions of Railway Machinists in Portugal” and “Factors of psychological distress and trauma in Portuguese railway drivers”, 54% say they suffer from intense trauma, 59% say they are exhausted a few times a month or week ( burnout ), 53% say they are “very much” affected by the fear of running over someone, 65% have already been involved in accidents with fatalities and 61% have already suffered some type of accident at work.

In addition, 94% of train drivers do overtime, while 75% say they do not have free time for their families and for themselves. In the studies, the train drivers were heard directly, in a set of meetings with focus groups. Study results will be published this Thursday by the Machinists’ Union (SMAQ).