Warning: there are distressing images in this story.
Mike Rigby was travelling to King’s Cross with his wife and granddaughter after staying at the London Bridge Hotel when he was injured on August 5 last year.
As he went through the ticket barrier with his “small aircraft cabin sized” bag, he says the gates snapped shut before he was completely through.
This resulted in his right hand being trapped between the barrier and his bag, slicing open the skin.
Mr Rigby recalls “dripping blood all over the station floor”, before he was able to alert a Transport for London (TfL) employee.
After first aid was performed on his injury at the station, the grandfather raced to King’s Cross so as not to miss his train back home to Huddersfield.
He received further treatment at his GP surgery the next day, adding that the wound took around a month to completely heal.
TfL eventually rejected his bid to claim £1,000 in compensation over the incident, denying liability for his injury.
Solicitors Gallagher Bassett told Mr Rigby that TfL had shown that a “reasonable system of inspection and maintenance” was in place on August 5.
They claimed that there were no similar reported incidents on that day, describing what happened to the grandfather as an “unfortunate isolated incident”.
Mr Rigby was also advised that there was no issue with the ticket barrier in question, and that there are wide aisle gates available for passengers travelling with luggage.
But speaking to this paper last week, Mr Rigby said that TfL and their solicitors had failed to consider some of the “significant issues” he had raised.
He claims that the wide aisle gate was blocked on the day he was travelling, and that there was a wider problem with ticket barriers closing with “excessive force”, even if they are not technically faulty.
“It’s my belief that there is a hidden large number of similar incidents being swept under the carpet by TfL,” he explained.
“The issue in my mind is that TfL need to accept that they have wronged me, the issue of compensation is secondary.”
He also pointed out that his injury took place within months of our report about Carl Grahame, who needed 26 “liquid stitches” after his hand was trapped by a ticket barrier at High Barnet station.
Freedom of Information (FoI) data shows that there were 25 compensation claims for injuries that took place at ticket barriers at TfL stations in the last five years, two of which happened at London Bridge.
Dale Smith, TfL’s head of customer operations, Jubilee and Northern line, said: “We’re sorry that Mr Rigby was injured at the ticket barriers at London Bridge.
“We have undertaken a full investigation of the incident and have responded to his legal claim.”
