€50k damages for SNCF train death
Court rules train company was responsible for death of 18-year-old passenger, after 12 years of legal fight
THE SNCF has been ordered to pay almost €50,000 in damages to the family of a young woman killed 12 years ago in a train accident.
Céline Avril's parents, sister and grandmother have been caught up in a lengthy legal battle with the French rail operator over who was responsible for the 18-year-old's death at a station in the Bouches-du-Rhône in 1998.
Ms Avril had spent several hours in the station waiting room in Istres with a group of friends, waiting for a severely delayed train on December 21.
According to TF1 News, the train finally arrived but on the opposite platform. The station had no bridge or subway, so she ran across the track to avoid missing it and was run over by the train.
A court initially ruled in 2008 that the SNCF had no case to answer and the safety measures at the station were adequate. The rail company refused to pay any damages to the family.
However the tribunal de grande instance in Marseille has now ruled that the SNCF was entirely responsible. It has been ordered to pay €30,000 in damages to Ms Avril's parents and sister and a further €18,000 to her grandmother.
