Mother who lost two limbs in train accident to climb Kilimanjaro (2024)

A mother who lost an arm and leg when two Tube trains ran her over is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro

Sarah de Lagarde, from Camden, north London, joined ITV's This Morning to reveal her plan of climbing Africa's highest mountain with two prosthetic limbs for charity.

The mother-of-two will raise money for Stand: We Walk together - a charity supporting amputees.

'I've had access to all of this care, but so many people don't, it's no longer about me, the limbs are never going to grow back,' Sarah said.

In September 2022, the mother-of-two was travelling home from work when she lost her footing on a rain-soaked platform and fell down the gap between the train and the platform edge.

Her arm was crushed when a train pulled out of High Barnet station, and minutes later, she was run over again by an incoming Tube, which crushed her leg.

It took around fifteen minutes for somebody to hear her cries and call the emergency services. She was flown to hospital and later taken to a specialist unit where her arm and leg were amputated before getting two prosthetic limbs.

In conversation with This Morning host's Alison Hammond and Dermot 'OLeary, Sarah recalled the horrific accident.

She said: 'It was such a mundane day. I don't have an exact recollection of what happened…but I can piece it together.'

The mother-of-two, who had recovered from Covid-19 a week prior, slipped and fell at High Barnet station.

'I slipped and fell on the platform against a stationary train into the gap that was as large as my shoulders,' she recalled.

'Nobody heard me or saw, and as the train departed it crushed my arm.'

'It was an intense flash of pain, but luckily our bodies are amazing, and adrenaline kicked in, so the pain was quite manageable, but I needed to get out of there.'

'I had a vision of my kid's faces in my mind's eye, and I could hear their voices so clearly saying: "Mummy, what are you doing? You're supposed to come home", and that's when the hysterical strength kicks in.'

Unable to get up from the track, Sarah was hit by an incoming train. 'I was on the tracks for a good 15 minutes and then second train came into the station and claimed my leg,' she said.

Sarah continued: 'I think it's a miracle that somebody heard me and extracted me... and that's how I got saved.'

'I must have slipped in and out of consciousness, but I was determined that I wasn't going to die that night'.

'In the aftermath of the accident I realised quite quickly that my arm was going to be a massive change, but it took me a long time to come to terms with what my life was going to look like.

'I still miss my arm and my leg every single day, the prosthetics are great, but they're no replacement for your limbs.'

While Sarah struggled with the aftermath, at the same time, she 'was so grateful to be alive'.

One month before the accident, Sarah and her husband had fulfilled their long-held dream to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Now, in a 'full circle' moment, Sarah is planning to trek up Africa's highest mountain once again, but this time for charity.

Sarah said: 'I want to show my children that life gets really tough, things get thrown at you all the time, but if you have the right positive mindset and you're kind to people and they come together and support you, then anything is possible.'

Sarah is raising money for Stand We Walk Together - a charity that provides holistic care to amputees.

'I've had access to all of this care, but so many people don't, it's no longer about me, the limbs are never going to grow back, Sarah said.

She continued: 'But if I can make a difference to someone else by raising awareness and improving visibility and say, "If you are disabled it doesn't mean you can't contribute positively to society".'