Woman who lost limbs in Tube accident was negligent, claims TfL

Times

21 hours ago

A corporate affairs executive who lost an arm and a leg after being hit by two Tube trains caused her own injuries through 'negligence', Transport for London (TfL) has claimed.
Sarah de Lagarde, 46, had two limbs amputated after falling into the gap between the train and platform at High Barnet station in north London in 2022. The mother of two, who was returning home from work at the City investment firm Janus Henderson, brought a High Court case against TfL and is seeking damages of more than £25 million.
TfL has claimed in court documents that 'the incident was caused or contributed to by the claimant's negligence', suggesting she 'placed herself in a position of danger' because she was careless when getting off the train.
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De Lagarde, who now has an AI-operated bionic arm and prosthetic leg, was travelling home late on the Northern Line on September 30, 2022, when she fell asleep. She eventually woke up at High Barnet, at the end of the line, at 9.53pm and alighted the train, slipping on a wet platform.
'The claimant took a few steps forward onto the platform and then took a few steps backwards, before the rear of her body struck the rear side of the door of the train she had exited from,' according to TfL's court documents, first obtained by the Standard. 'The claimant continued to move backwards and, approximately seven seconds after exiting the train, she fell into the gap between carriages five and six of the train.'
No one heard her cries for help and she broke her nose and two teeth in the fall. Around five minutes later, the train driver walked back through the train to get to the driver's cab to start his return journey southbound.
He noticed wedged between the train and the platform De Lagarde's brown leather bag, which he later handed to lost property. He did not investigate further and TfL's submission stated that he 'did not see or hear the claimant at that point and did not look into the gap, having no reason to do so'.
De Lagarde again called out for help but no one came and the train departed from the station, taking her right arm with it. She managed to reach her phone but her face was so badly injured she was unable to unlock it using Face ID. Rain meant it was too wet for the touchscreen to function.
She again cried out for help and again no one came. Then a second train arrived at the station, running over her right leg. De Lagarde was not found until the driver of a train on a different platform heard her shouts and called the emergency services. Air Ambulance paramedics crawled under the train to reach her and later received a national bravery award.
De Lagarde had surgery at the Royal London Hospital and was later transferred to the amputee rehabilitation unit in Lambeth, south London, until being discharged on December 1, 2022.
She posted on Instagram today: 'I'm not a freak incident, I'm one of 162 people a month who get injured or killed on the TfL network. It's a systemic failure while senior leaders are enjoying their six-figure salaries and performance bonuses. The London Underground was once iconic. Now it's described as dirty and dangerous.
'While ticket prices keep increasing, service keeps declining. TfL tells us to 'See it. Say it. Sorted'. Well, if you see something that needs fixing, say it — log it with TfL and write to your MP. It's time for TfL to put passengers before profit and sort it.'
De Lagarde's claim states: 'The breaches of duty caused the claimant to suffer life-changing injuries.'
Thomas Jervis, the Leigh Day partner representing De Lagarde, said: 'Like millions of other Londoners, Sarah de Lagarde was just trying to get home from work when she was hit by two Tube trains at High Barnet station. Transport for London is refusing to accept liability and positively blames Sarah for what happened.'
A spokesman for TfL said: 'We are responding to a legal claim brought by Sarah de Lagarde. It is not appropriate to discuss details of our defence while this case is ongoing. Our thoughts continue to be with Sarah and her family following this terrible incident and we will continue to make every possible effort to learn from any incident on the Tube network. Safety is our top priority and we will always place it at the forefront of our thinking.'
The trial is due to open in January 2027.