Railway bridge strike

Stock photo

England, United Kingdom

A skip lorry struck a low railway bridge, leading Network Rail to claim for structural damage, replacement of collision‑protection beams, and service disruption. Liability for the strike was admitted, but causation and the extent and proportionality of remedial works remained an issue.

I was asked to determine the structural damage attributable to the impact and evaluate whether the remedial works were proportional or amounted to betterment. This work included a review of past inspection records and other collision reports, to determine the extent of structural damage pre-existing to the strike.

The findings of this investigation were presented to the freight company’s insurer to inform the liability position and settlement strategy.