Mother of child hit by train in Belgium receives £14,000 bill for 'damage to track'
Belgian national rail operator sparks outrage after sending £14,000 bill to mother of 12-year old girl hit by train while taking a selfie for damage caused to tracks
By Henry Samuel, Paris
20 Oct 2015
Belgium’s national rail operator reportedly sent a €19,000 (£14,000) bill to a mother whose daughter died after being hit by a train because her death damaged the tracks.
In what national media has called a “barely believable” act of bureaucratic cynicism, Belgium’s national rail operator, SNCB, sent the bill in a letter to Carla Nunez, whose 12-year-old daughter Charlotte was hit by a train in November 2014 while taking a selfie on a platform with a friend.
She was killed instantly.
Speaking to Flemish news website, Het Laaste Nieuws, she said: “The letter says that my daughter is a minor and that I am responsible for damage caused by the accident.”
Mrs Nunez told the site that while she would not personally have to pay as the bill was in the hands of her insurers, she was appalled by the claim, which was like a “hammer blow”.
“When you receive a letter like that, it knocks you down. These people cannot have children to be capable of doing something so monstrous,” she told the website.
“I have a good mind to go and ring on the doorbell of Jo Cornu [chief executive of SNCB[ to ask him what in the hell possessed his company to do such a thing.”
The damages claim has since led to angry political reaction in Belgium.
David Geerts, Socialist MP, said: “How can one ignore the emotional impact of such a letter, sent to people who have lost a loved one? Instead of sending a bill for damages, even if they don’t have to pay themselves, it would have been better to show some empathy."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ck.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Belgian national rail operator sparks outrage after sending £14,000 bill to mother of 12-year old girl hit by train while taking a selfie for damage caused to tracks
By Henry Samuel, Paris
20 Oct 2015
Belgium’s national rail operator reportedly sent a €19,000 (£14,000) bill to a mother whose daughter died after being hit by a train because her death damaged the tracks.
In what national media has called a “barely believable” act of bureaucratic cynicism, Belgium’s national rail operator, SNCB, sent the bill in a letter to Carla Nunez, whose 12-year-old daughter Charlotte was hit by a train in November 2014 while taking a selfie on a platform with a friend.
She was killed instantly.
Speaking to Flemish news website, Het Laaste Nieuws, she said: “The letter says that my daughter is a minor and that I am responsible for damage caused by the accident.”
Mrs Nunez told the site that while she would not personally have to pay as the bill was in the hands of her insurers, she was appalled by the claim, which was like a “hammer blow”.
“When you receive a letter like that, it knocks you down. These people cannot have children to be capable of doing something so monstrous,” she told the website.
“I have a good mind to go and ring on the doorbell of Jo Cornu [chief executive of SNCB[ to ask him what in the hell possessed his company to do such a thing.”
The damages claim has since led to angry political reaction in Belgium.
David Geerts, Socialist MP, said: “How can one ignore the emotional impact of such a letter, sent to people who have lost a loved one? Instead of sending a bill for damages, even if they don’t have to pay themselves, it would have been better to show some empathy."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ck.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter