In 2001, there was a train accident in Belgium in which a head-on collision of trains killed 8 people, including both train drivers. The accident was unique in that the main cause was a language barrier.
When the driver of the first train left the station despite a red traffic light, the dispatcher called the next station to warn them. However, the dispatchers did not understand each other because one spoke French and the other Dutch. Both are official languages in Belgium and railway company rules require staff to know at least one of them.
