Trip-of-a-lifetime accident leaves woman in wheelchair

Thisisnorthdevon.co.uk
19 May 2010

It should have been the trip of a lifetime on the Orient Express in Thailand - but a tragic accident has left one passenger bound to a wheelchair, and changed her life forever.

Sylvia Brown, 60, was thrown from her seat when the Eastern Orient Express suddenly jolted to a halt, resulting in a spinal injury which could mean she will never walk again.

Instead of the dream journey for her ruby wedding anniversary and 60th birthday, she spent more than six months in hospital, and has had to give up the job she loved and her Exeter home. She has gone from living an active, independent lifestyle to struggling to perform simple tasks, like washing up.

Yet so far, neither the Eastern Orient Express, its parent company Venice Simplon Orient Express Ltd, nor Bath Travel - through which the Browns made the booking - has accepted liability and paid any compensation.

Yesterday, both Bath Travel and the Eastern Orient Express said they were "very concerned" about Mrs Brown, but said they were unable to comment further because of the ongoing court case.

Lawyers acting for Mrs Brown issued proceedings against all three companies to the High Court last week.

Speaking from the bungalow she is renting in Filton, near Honiton, Mrs Brown said she still found it hard to believe what had happened.

She said: "It's so frustrating, because I used to be able to do so much myself, and I hate asking other people for help, but I have got no choice at the moment.

"I just don't understand why someone won't take responsibility and say 'yes, it's my fault'. It just doesn't make any sense to me."

The Browns chose the trip, costing more than £7,000 in total, from the Bath Travel brochure.

They boarded the famed carriages of the Orient Express in Thailand on November 4, after a stay in Hong Kong.

On the second morning of the journey, the couple went to the observation carriage, where Mrs Brown sat on a pouf-style box, when the train halted suddenly and without warning.

"It stopped with an almighty bang," she said. "There was nothing to grab, and I flew up into the air, and kept turning and turning until I hit the deck."

Mrs Brown landed awkwardly, with her shoulder hitting the seating while the rest of her body was on the floor, resulting in the spinal injury.

Her first hospital experience was "horrible", she said. "It was filthy and there were dogs running around.

"I was eventually flown to Bangkok Hospital, which was much better."

After more than two weeks in intensive care, Mrs Brown was flown to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where she was found to have C. difficile and put into isolation.

Later, a blood clot developed in her upper thigh which moved up to her lungs. She then stayed for four months at Salisbury's specialist spine units.

"At times, the pain was unbelievable. Sometimes I just screamed with agony trying to perform the simplest tasks," she said.

Julian Chamberlayne, of Stewarts Law solicitors, said: "Their legal position is they are still investigating, but Sylvia is left in limbo while they sift through what went wrong. This is a couple who have worked hard, and they feel they've lost everything."

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