Sarah de Lagarde was travelling on the London Underground at the time of the unfathomable event. Her arm and leg were both amputated subsequent to her stumble and fall in the void between the train and the platform.
Her harrowing experience and determination
A woman struck by two trains and who lost an arm and a limb has stated that “avoidable errors and failures” precipitated her life-altering injuries.
In September 2022, at High Barnet underground station in north London, Sarah de Lagarde slipped on a puddle on the platform and collapsed into a space between a stationary train and the platform.
Addressing avoidable errors and safety protocols
Despite the fact that the fall caused damage to two front teeth and Ms. de Lagarde’s nose, nobody could have foreseen the subsequent horror, particularly since she remained conscious throughout the ordeal.
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My right arm was subsequently carried away by the departing train,” she revealed on The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee.
Despite her cries for assistance going unheard, the subsequent train entered the station, resulting in the loss of Ms. de Lagarde’s right limb.
“I was still conscious after that and still determined to make it home,” she remarked.
I perceived my two daughters in my mind’s eye, and they were pleading with me, “Mummy, you must return home.”
Ms. de Lagarde remained on the train track for approximately 15 minutes before someone sounded the alarm; emergency services did not arrive for an additional hour.
“There was a series of things that delayed my saving,” she reported.
“They informed me that deactivating the power line was a time-consuming process due to the lack of communication regarding the appropriate contact person. Consequently, the paramedics were unable to traverse beneath the train in time to evacuate me.”
Sarah de Lagarde’s perspective on safety measures
Transport for London (TfL) has permitted an abundance of avoidable errors and shortcomings to transpire.
It is a fact that I must accept; the possibility exists that it was all over a misstep, someone might have discovered me, and I might have escaped with a minor injury to my nose.
Doctors reported that Ms. de Lagarde came perilously close to death ten times on the evening of the accident; her survival was an absolute miracle.
“It sounds like something out of a horror film,” Sarah-Jane Mee remarked to Ms. de Lagarde, a mother of two who presently possesses a prosthetic leg and mechanised arm.
Although they have allowed her to maintain a certain degree of normalcy in her life, everyone in her vicinity continues to experience the repercussions of her accident.
“This year has been extremely difficult,” she declared.
I maintain the conviction that my survival serves a purpose, and that purpose is to underscore the insufficiency of the safety protocols purportedly implemented by TfL; had they been adequate, I would not be present with these injuries.
Daily, a total of two million individuals utilise the London Underground system. Based on data from TfL spanning 2006 to 2018, the average number of incidents involving individuals collapsing between the train and the platform is sixteen per month.
TfL has owned and operated the London Underground as a subsidiary since 2003.
When asked what should be done to improve the security of the London Underground network, Ms. de Lagarde responded, “From my perspective, the issue is not merely one of finances; rather, it is the falsehood that CCTV is being continuously monitored, which is not the case.”
Why do the tracks lack any sensors? Why do the stations lack personnel?
I did not give up an arm and a limb in order for nothing to occur.
Nick Dent, the director of customer relations at London Underground, stated, “Sarah de Lagarde and her family remain in our thoughts and hearts in the wake of last year’s tragic incident at High Barnet station.
We have extended direct support to Sarah through our Sarah Hope line service, and we continue to actively consider her perspectives regarding the network.
He stated that safety continues to be the foremost concern at the London Underground and that efforts are ongoing to enhance the system.
