How a survivor of the Croydon tram crash who battled addiction and homelessness turned his life around

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

A survivor of the Croydon tram crash gambled away all the compensation money he was given as he battled survivors’ guilt and PTSD from the trauma of what he saw that day. 

Hugo, 50, who has asked to keep his surname anonymous, was one of the 62 passengers who survived when a tram derailed in November 2016 near Sandilands, killing seven people.

At the time of the tram crash, Hugo was homeless, sleeping at what’s known as a ‘floating shelter’ – a group of churches across Croydon which alternate in providing somewhere for homeless people to stay.

He said: “I had a temporary job I needed to go to on the day. I ran for that tram that morning, and then it happened. It was horrific.

“After it derailed, me and another passenger managed to smash a hole in the window of the tram so people could start coming out.

“We were trapped in. The doors weren’t functioning. We eventually managed to escape but the whole thing was madness. There were so many injuries that we were taken to hospital by big red Transport for London (TfL) buses.”

While Hugo is lucky to have survived, it did not feel like that to him for a long time. 

He said: “The things I saw were the most impactful thing; people cut in half, people caught under the tram, people without skin on their faces. One guy had his head chopped off, it was the kind of scene you could not unsee.”

Hugo received extensive therapy while living at his new home in Lower Addiscombe, having moved there in the aftermath. While he admits this place was good for him, the problems did not go away.

He said: “I had survivor guilt, PTSD and depression. I kept asking myself why I survived and all those other people died. All of that accumulated until May 1, 2017, after my birthday, when I made my first attempt on my life.

“That was after I said I would accept this amount for compensation for the crash. Suddenly I had all this money in my account and I didn’t know what to do with it.”

Hugo spoke about how this first suicide attempt meant access to see his now 19-year-old son was restricted for five years. 

He said: “The night I attempted suicide I was with him. That night I felt like I wanted to say goodbye to him. In the end though, he called the ambulance when he found me.

“After that, I became homeless again. I was in self-destruction mode. I had an addiction to drugs and gambling. I managed to spend £10,000 in one night, I blew it all.”

Hugo resorted to sleeping rough again on the steps of Croydon Library, before making another attempt on his life. After surviving this attempt, he was put in touch with the homeless charity Thames Reach.

With their help, Hugo moved out of Croydon to a one-bedroom flat in Fulham. He said: “I was away from the bad influences there, gambling and drugs were still on and off but I started working again and my life got better.”

Hugo, who was born in Angola and first came to London 24 years ago, suffered addiction issues for many years before the tram crash. 

After settling into a comfortable life in Croydon, he later became street homeless and fought addiction issues. So when the tram accident happened he was already in a vulnerable place.

He said: “You can still relapse, you’re never free from it. It’s like a cage you can go back inside very quickly, you just need the trigger.”

After moving into his Fulham flat Hugo spent a few years moving around South London. But it was his discovery of South Norwood Community Kitchen (SNCK) that really got him on the straight and narrow.

Speaking at the SNCK, Hugo said: “It was six years ago I started coming here, I knew there was a place you could get free food near the clocktower in Norwood Junction. I started going there on Saturday for my lunch, it was a beautiful environment.

“At some point, I started feeling the love for the place and thought I could cook some African and Portuguese dishes for them.”

Hugo’s passion for the SNCK encouraged him to move to the area, so he could provide support in the kitchen and cafe throughout the week. He, along with more than 100 volunteers at the SNCK, now uses his personal experience to help those who come through the cafe’s doors looking for support.

Pictured top: Hugo says the fellow volunteers at the South Norwood Community Kitchen are his family and are like therapists to him (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)