Underground Train Driver Receives £4,000 After Cable Trip

A London Underground train driver who badly injured his knee after tripping on a footpath at work has reached an out of court settlement worth £4,000. The claim has also forced his employers to make the area where he tripped safer.

Luchiano Wijesuriya, 43, tripped on a loose cable and fell on his right knee. This strained a knee ligament, causing severe pain as well as further aggravating a previous injury. He subsequently had to take several weeks off work and also had a family holiday ruined.

Mr Wijesuriya had specifically warned his employers about the poor lighting in the area on three or four separate occasions. The footpath was in regular use by London Underground train drivers.

Mr Wijesuriya decided to make a claim for compensation as he ‘was worried there might be a more serious accident if the problem wasn’t sorted out’. London Underground Ltd. admitted liability and agreed to pay Mr Wijesuriya £4,000 in compensation. Work was also carried out to make the footpath safer.

In the UK, trips and slips are the single most common cause of injury at work. In this case, London Underground Ltd. had a duty to ensure that the area where employees were working was well-lit and safe to use. The fact that the company had been put on notice regarding the unsafe conditions but had failed to take any remedial action weighed against it.