Disasters in the air and misfortunes at sea grab our attention because of the unusually large number of fatalities involved. But it’s not even necessary to leave dry land for a terrible disaster to happen. Rail journeys and even just getting in your car can be fraught with disaster. That’s the focus for this instalment of Desperate Hours - road and rail disasters. We will examine the causes of such accidents, be that the powers of nature or human folly. We are about to explore the worst of the worst destructive events from an ordinary day on Nigerian roads to a disastrous display of human error in Santiago de Compostella when the driver of a loaded passenger train went about 115 km/h over the established speed limit and drove his train straight into a wall. So buckle up