A woman from Camden who was hit by two Tube trains has claimed Transport for London (TfL) is becoming “rotten to its core”.
Sarah de Lagarde slipped onto the train tracks at High Barnet station in September 2022 on her way home from work.
Despite her cries for help, there were no staff around and she was hit by two separate trains before she was found and rushed to hospital.
She had her right arm and leg amputated, and now uses two prosthetic limbs, including a bionic arm.
Speaking at a press conference this morning (October 9), Sarah said she wanted to reveal what she called the "TfL safety scandal".
She also accused the transport body of “victim-blaming” and taking a “defensive approach” to incident investigations.
She said: “In my case, the first reporting suggested that I had been intoxicated, which clearly puts the blame on the victim.
“It was also alleged that I was wearing the wrong footwear, as if that is reason enough.”
Sarah and other people injured or bereaved due to incidents on the London transport network have now called on the Government to intervene by conducting an independent review to ensure TfL addresses safety issues.
It comes after Freedom of Information (FoI) disclosures revealed that, on average, 133 people a month are victims of incidents taking place between the train and the platform on the London Underground.
These include falls from the platform, falls between the train and the platform, contact between a person and a train and people caught in or hit by train doors.
Sarah added that data shows these incidents have increased by 13% over the last year.
She said: “We believe that TfL is failing to meet its most fundamental obligation – to ensure the safe transit of commuters.
“Our findings indicate that the safety issues within TfL are not merely isolated incidents, but are indicative of systemic and institutional failings, stemming from the incompetence at the leadership level.
“It appears that TfL, a public service entity has strayed far from its mission to serve the public, becoming an institution that is rotten to its core.”
Following the FoI disclosures, the group has also called on TfL to increase the transparency of its data reporting, claiming incidents “may have been underrepresented”.
A statutory duty of candour, which would force TfL to apologise for incidents and be honest when things have gone wrong, was also recommended by the group.
Sarah said that she has yet to receive an apology for what happened to her from London Mayor and TfL chair Sadiq Khan.
Earlier this year, she made a legal claim against TfL arguing that a series of safety failings led her to remain on the tracks undetected by staff for 15 minutes despite her screams for help.
Sarah added that whistleblowers at the transport body have revealed a “toxic atmosphere” where safety is not seen as a priority.
This is at odds with TfL’s public assertion that safety is its number one priority, she claimed.
Thomas Jervis, partner at law firm Leigh Day, which is representing Ms de Lagarde, told the Ham and High that “it’s not the job of London citizens” and survivors to come up with solutions to safety issues on the network.
He added that for the problem to be solved, TfL must first be honest about its scale through transparent incident data reporting.
Sarah was joined at the press conference by Sarah Hope, who was injured 14 years ago alongside her daughter in a bus crash in Mortlake that also claimed her mother’s life, and Sally Sivas, next of kin of Kathleen Finnegan, who died after being hit by a double-decker bus at Victoria Station earlier this year.
Lilli Matson, TfL's chief safety, health and environment officer, said: “We are committed to learning from every incident and use a rigorous evidence-based approach to this, using data and incident reports to put in place changes through targeted programmes that make the transport network safer for everyone.
“Accurate reporting and transparency are a vital part of our industry-leading approach to safety, and we are committed to making data publicly available, including through our website.”
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