Edwin Buckett wins claim against Transport for London

On 29 May 2026, following a 3-day trial before HHJ Murch, liability was established in a personal injury claim brought by a passenger who sustained a severe spinal fracture, amongst other injuries, when the doors of a stationary Northern Line train closed on her as she attempted to board it at Edgware Station.

Although she was not caught in the doors when they closed, the effect of them closing right in front of her face caused her to fall back onto the platform, injuring her back.

TfL defended the claim on the basis that the Claimant was not in the area known as the passenger train interface (PTI) between the yellow line on the platform at the train at the time the doors were commanded to close by the train driver. Further, TfL relied on fact that the door chimes had sounded, just prior to the doors closing (which is an automatic feature) and that the Claimant should have heard them.

The judge applied the guidance in the Court of Appeal case of Whiting-v-First/Keolis Trans-Pennine Limited [2018] EWCA Civ 4 that train staff owe a duty of care to customers on a station platform, in close proximity to a train. Although staff are not required to guarantee the safety of those who are on the platform, they must take a reasonable view of the risk posed to those to whom they owe a duty of care. Equally, it was important that the Court did not impose too high a duty of care on staff such that it made their task unreasonably difficult.

Although the Claimant may not have been occupying the PTI area at the time the doors were commanded to close, the Judge found that she was clearly heading for that train, intending to board it and walking closely beside it. Her actions were supported by the CCTV evidence. Whilst acknowledging that it was a judgment call on the part of the train operator, the Judge concluded that it should have been reasonably apparent that the Claimant’s intentions were to board the train and that it was not appropriate to command the doors to close when he did so.

Liability was established with a 20% reduction for contributory negligence. Although the Claimant had not heard the door chimes, she accepted that no fault was found with the train on the day of the accident and that they must have sounded.

Causation and quantum issued were also decided in the Claimant’s favour with the evidence of the Claimant’s expert, Mr John O’Dowd (Orthopaedic Spinal Expert) preferred over the evidence of the Defendant’s expert.

Edwin was instructed by Vince Reynolds (Thompsons, London) on behalf of the Claimant.