Passengers Stop Runaway Tram

Passengers on a tram in Germany forced their way into the cab and stopped the speeding vehicle after the driver passed out and they couldn't get the emergency brake to work. Police in Bonn said several passengers called the emergency line shortly before 1am Sunday to report that they couldn't get the driver to respond and that the tram had skipped several stops, the AP reports. Getting instructions on the phone from officials, passengers smashed a window of the driver's cab and managed to stop the tram. The 47-year-old driver was taken to a hospital, which released him on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear why he passed out.

The city transport authority said the emergency brake handle doesn't in itself stop the tram but sends a signal to the driver. He decides whether to stop the vehicle, but in this case he couldn't. The two men who smashed their way into the driver's cab were treated for minor injuries, the BBC reports. Nobody else was hurt. "They did exactly the right thing in a dangerous situation and likely saved lives," says Bonn Mayor Ashok Sridharan.

(More Germany stories.)