The Dutch man who lost an eye in a stone-throwing incident while travelling on a Metrorail train is considering legal action.
|||Cape Town - The Dutch man who lost an eye in a stone-throwing incident while travelling on a Metrorail train in March last year is considering legal action.
Jorrit de Vries, 27, was sitting next to an open window on the train when there was a bang followed by a sharp pain in his right eye.
Other passengers came to help him and told him that he had been hit by a stone thrown by someone on a train that was travelling on another line.
Doctors were unable to save De Vries’s eye and it was removed. He later returned to the Netherlands to recover.
De Vries, who has been communicating with the Cape Argus by e-mail, said he came back to Cape Town in September for a meeting, but had heard nothing from Metrorail about their investigation.
In March, De Vries contacted Metrorail, but it did not get back to him until he sent “some angry e-mails” and threatened them with a court case.
“They finally gave a response at the end of that month.”
De Vries sent the Cape Argus a scanned copy of a letter he received in April from Weksmans Attorneys, acting on behalf of the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa).
The letter said Prasa did not consider itself legally liable and would not compensate him.
De Vries said he was angry and disappointed with the way he has been treated.
“This is not the way you treat people. My life has been ruined because of them. They never did enough to improve safety in and around the trains. Open a newspaper or website, and there is a bad story about Metrorail.”
De Vries said he wanted to take Metrorail to court, but he needed a lawyer who was willing to help him as he was unemployed.
“I know I have a case against them - they know that, too.
“But they have Weksmans, a good company. I can’t fight on my own against them.”
Metrorail’s regional manager, Mthuthuzeli Swartz, said: “My management team and I were extremely distressed to learn of the senseless and opportunistic attack at the time and the subsequent loss of Mr De Vries’s eye.”
Swartz said the matter had been investigated and referred to Prasa’s insurers. The matter was with the insurer’s legal team.
“The matter is procedurally outside the jurisdiction of the region as it is being dealt with at a national level.
“The legal process will take its course.”
neo.maditla@inl.co.za
Cape Argus