Lerum hit the world's news bulletins on 16 November 1987, when two Intercity trains collided just outside the local station, killing 9 and injuring 140.

[2] A control cable to the trailroad switches had been incorrectly reconnected after being dug up accidentally.

When traffic was finally allowed to pass the station, the Gothenburg bound train was switched over to the opposite track where an outbound train was arriving, after a mistake in communication between the repairer and the traffic leader.

An off-duty trainmaster, reading the paper in one of the locomotives, heard the train driver say "Helvete nu smäller det" (roughly translated: "Hell, now that's a crash").

He managed to open the side door and leap out, the trains collided when he was still in the air and despite doing this at 100 km/h (62 mph) he survived with just a broken foot.