Mother who lost arm and leg in Tube accident was 'negligent' claims TfL in £25 million lawsuit
A mother who was run over by two Tube trains and lay undiscovered for 15 minutes 'contributed to her own injuries', Transport for London claims.
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Sarah de Lagarde, 46, slipped on a wet platform in High Barnet tube station in North London and fell down the gap between the platform and the train.
The PR executive was crushed by one train, ripping off her right arm.
A second train then arrived and ran over her right leg.
Ms Lagarde lay undiscovered for 15 minutes, despite her screams.
The mother-of-two, who now uses a prosthetic arm and leg, has launched a £25 million legal battle against London Underground Ltd (LUL), a part of Transport for London (TfL).
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In defence documents submitted to the High Court, TfL claimed Ms Lagarde's injuries were a result of her own "negligence".
She "placed herself in a position of danger" because of how she got off the train, Mail Online reports.
Ms Lagarde was returning home from her city job around 10pm on September 30 2022, when she fell asleep on the Northern line.
She was woken up by a fellow passenger when the train reached the end of the line at High Barnet station.
After getting off the train in a hurry, Sarah noticed it was returning the way it came and stepped backwards to get back on.
She then slipped and fell through the gap, onto the tracks below.
Lawyers for TfL said, via MailOnline: "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.
"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."
Approximately five minutes later, the driver walked back through the train to start the southbound journey.
He noticed Ms Lagarde's handbag wedged between the train and the platform, which he handed to lost property. He did not hear her screams.
After the first train left life-changing arm injuries to Ms Lagarde, she attempted to open her phone but her face was too badly disfigured for Face ID to work, and the rain left the screen too wet to work.
Speaking previously, she said: "Twenty-two tonnes of steel crushed my limbs, and, if that wasn't bad enough, I remained on the tracks undetected until the second train came into the station, crushing me for a second time."
A judge indicated an eight-day trial will be listed at the High Court for early 2027.
A TfL spokesperson 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."