South Eastern Railway train caused severe injuries.

The Claimant was involved in an incident at West Wickham Railway station on 10th April 2015. On this day the Claimant was alighting from a carriage of the train she was travelling on. It is the Claimant’s case that the door closed on her without warning (i.e. no “hustle alarm” sounding). The doors shut on the Claimant’s backpack resulting in the Claimant becoming trapped on the outside of the train. As the train began to leave the station the Claimant was dragged along until her backpack gave way and she fell underneath the train.

As a result of the fall several train carriages ran over the Claimant. The Claimant suffered a below the knee amputation to her left leg together with extensive further injuries to her right leg, upper body and psychiatric injuries. The Claimant now requires amputation of her right leg (below the knee); this to take place in the near future. Whilst a letter of claim was sent to the Railway company shortly after the accident liability was not admitted until after issue and service of proceedings which took place in April 2018. Prior to issue the Defendant had entered the Rehabilitation Code and so the Claimant is currently being provided with extensive rehabilitation.

At the present time medico-legal evidence has been obtained in fields of orthopaedics (both lower limb and upper limb), plastic surgery, pain management, psychiatry, prosthetics, rehabilitation medicine, occupational therapy, accommodation, physiotherapy and employment. Settlement was reached at a JSM that took place on 18 March 2020 for the sum of £4,500,000.