A London mum-of-two who had her arm and leg amputated after being run over by two Tube trains has decided to pay £17,000 for a prosthetic leg to avoid NHS waits.
Sarah de Lagarde, from Camden, slipped on a platform on the Northern line at High Barnet on September 30 last year, and fell down the gap between the train and the platform.
She was hit by two trains in the horror accident, with her cries for help not being heard by other passers-by.
In an interview with the Times, Ms de Largarde said she initially used an NHS prosthetic leg, but it didn’t fit correctly as her upper leg had changed shape in the six weeks’ delay for it to be fitted.
She was then told it would be another six weeks for the prosthetic to be refitted.
“It activated my sciatic nerve. I was on the floor screaming. At one point I blacked out and fell on the floor from the pain,” she told the paper.
“I thought, I can’t spend another six weeks in bed or a wheelchair.” She added: “It cost £17,000 but it meant I could walk again.”
Ms de Largarde earlier this year received a ‘mind reading’ bionic arm using AI technology, after a crowdfunding appeal set up by her husband Jeremy exceeded its target of £250,000.
She described her husband as her “bedrock”, telling the Times: “He looks at me and still he sees me as a whole person.
“I look at myself and I find myself horrific. It’s such a horrible word, but the stumps – they look awful. And yet he looks at me and he loves me. I draw from that.”
The 45-year-old, who has since returned to work part time as global head of communications for asset management firm Janus Henderson, is now campaigning for doors to be installed on platforms, as is the case on the Jubilee line.
Nick Dent, Director of Customer Operations at London Underground, previously said: “Our thoughts continue to be with Sarah De Lagarde and her family following the devastating incident at High Barnet station last year.
"We have offered her direct support through our Sarah Hope line service and we remain receptive to Sarah’s views about the network.
“Safety is our top priority and we continue to take every possible measure to learn from any incident and put in place appropriate improvements.”
