Four-figure Scotrail payout after window ‘nearly killed’ woman
SCOTRAIL has been forced into a four-figure payout after a passer-by was left traumatised when a pane of glass fell from an office window jammed open with train tickets.
When the teetering pile collapsed, the 100-year-old sash slammed shut and the pane fell 30ft into a busy street.
It shattered at the feet of Lisa Speirs, 41, who was passing below Caledonia Chambers in Union Street, near Glasgow’s Central Station. The near-miss left her suffering from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Now Scotrail has has agreed to pay her a four-figure sum after she sued the rail operator for negligence.
Painter and decorator Ms Speirs, from Glasgow, recalled: ‘I had been walking with my headphones on and noticed bits of wood fall right at my feet – then when I looked up I saw all this glass coming right for me.
‘I got hit by a few broken fragments but nothing major – it was the shock and the fright of it all. It left me constantly panicking, unable to sleep and fearful of going outside.
‘It made me fearful to climb a ladder at work or pick up power tools – anything remotely risky made me sweat and panic and bite my fingernails to the point where they would bleed. I was very nearly killed and if I didn’t take Scotrail to court then I don’t think I’d get the acknowledgment I needed to recover from this.’
When the 3ft by 2ft pane fell from the second floor of Caledonia Chambers in 2015, Ms Speirs reported the incident to Scotrail but got no reply and, after seeking legal advice, underwent counselling so she could return to work.
After a probe by transport police, Scotrail bosses tried to make a settlement conditional on a gagging order – which Ms Speirs refused to sign.
An investigation by Digby Brown solicitors found the lower half of the old sash had been propped open with the stack of tickets, although it is not clear why they gave way.
The All Scotland Personal Injury Court in Edinburgh heard that if staff had opened it correctly and maintained it properly, the incident could have been prevented.
A spokesman for Scotrail franchise holder Abellio said: ‘We won’t comment on a specific case, but we have reviewed and resolved any issues raised by the incident.’