Woman who lost her arm and leg after being run over by two tube trains issues legal claim against Transport for London

Sarah de Lagarde was travelling home from work on 30 September 2022 when she slipped on a wet and uneven platform at High Barnet Station and fell onto the track. She was subsequently run over by the train she had been travelling on as it pulled out of the station and then by a second train which then pulled into the same platform.

Sarah, who is from North London, survived the incident but had to have her right arm and right leg amputated as a result of her injuries. She has since been fitted with a prosthetic leg and an arm which uses AI technology.

Sarah’s legal claim argues that a series of safety failings by TfL led her to remain on the tracks undetected by staff for 15 minutes despite her screams for help. The claim also questions whether TfL breached its own safety procedures and whether those procedures are fit for purpose.

Sarah is urging TfL to learn lessons from what happened to her to improve safety for all passengers who use the London Underground network.

TfL denies liability and having caused the incident, arguing that Sarah’s injuries were the result of a series of unfortunate events.

Sarah is concerned that this is a closed approach to safety and that there is a missed opportunity for learning outcomes which might prevent future missed opportunities and serious incidents, including deaths.

Law firm Leigh Day has issued the claim against TfL at the High Court on Sarah’s behalf. Sarah is represented by Leigh Day partner Thomas Jervis.

Sarah de Lagarde said:

“This incident has left me with devastating injuries which affect every aspect of my life, yet TfL continues to deny any responsibility or address the serious safety concerns that have been raised. What happened to me could have happened to anyone and, since my accident, I have been contacted by many people with safety fears or who have experienced near misses on the tube network. I believe TfL is putting millions of people at risk every day. It is vital that it learns lessons from my case to make a safer network for everyone and stop incidents like this happening again.”

Leigh Day partner Thomas Jervis said:

“What happened to Sarah should be regarded as a never event. The number of serious incidents and fatalities that occur when people are using our public transport system is deeply concerning. This incident has obviously had a devastating impact on Sarah and her family and she will not stop until she obtains justice.”