Court awards R5.4m to arm amputee after violent train attack

A MAN, who had to have his arm amputated after suffering extensive injuries when he was thrown from a train, will be compensated to the tune of R5.4million by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) for medical expenses and loss of earnings.

- CHEVON BOOYSEN

This comes after the man was attacked on a train on August 26, 2017, at the Koeberg station in Cape Town. His assailants pushed him through the open doors of the train. The foreign national underwent an above-elbow amputation of the left arm and sustained soft tissue injury to the lumbar spine.

The man, who holds a matric-equivalent qualification from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was gainfully employed as a Code 14 driver at the time of the incident and has since been unable to work. He now assists his spouse as an informal trader selling fresh produce from a temporary stall at their home.