Overhead luggage rack problems

[pethadine82]

Yesterday while travelling on a packed east coast train to London, I was dozing off and noticed a suitcase on the overhead rack teetering over the edge.
It looked very full.
I immediately rushed over as if it had fallen then someone would have been really badly hurt. A lady replied it was her bag, and it must have weighed about 15kg. It did not fit properly above and I helped her move it to the area just outside the disabled toilet.

My question is if that suitcase has injured someone then who would be liable.
There are no warning posters advising pax of what can be placed.
Thank God no one was injured but it could have been very nasty.

Thank you.

 

[O L Leigh]

Not everyone is interested in claiming compo for every single bump and knock.

No wonder my insurance premiums are so ruddy high.

O L Leigh

 

[northwichcat]

Not everyone is interested in claiming compo for every single bump and knock.

If you received a bad head injury and got signed off sick for 2 weeks and your company didn't offer a sick pay scheme would you be happy with struggling to make rent/mortgage payments because of that injury?

 

[SussexMan]

My question is if that suitcase has injured someone then who would be liable.
There are no warning posters advising pax of what can be placed.

Surely you are approaching this from the wrong angle.

There should be warning signs on the seats advising passengers to check the overhead luggage racks above their heads and to avoid sitting there if it looked like there could be a danger from falling objects (unless of course suitable headgear could be provided). If they fail to check then they surely would be liable. I can't see any way that the person who put it up there could be expected to know that it might fall down!

 

[stut]

It's an improvement on FCC, where people seem allergic to using overhead racks, and dump everything in the aisle, often on your foot, instead...

 

[O L Leigh]

There should be warning signs on the seats advising passengers to check the overhead luggage racks above their heads and to avoid sitting there if it looked like there could be a danger from falling objects (unless of course suitable headgear could be provided). If they fail to check then they surely would be liable. I can't see any way that the person who put it up there could be expected to know that it might fall down!

I disagree.

Some stock at least has warnings not to place heavy items of luggage in the overhead racks. Likewise, the person placing it up there knows precisely how secure it is in that position.

O L Leigh

 

[island]

It would help if there were more ground-level luggage storage facilities or if those present were made more obvious (I'm thinking the space between back to back seats on a 465 for example).

 

[BrianTheLion]

How much babysitting do passengers actually need?

Common sense should be used in these sorts of situations, if the case is too big or heavy to go overhead then it simply cant be placed there and should be placed in an appropriate ground level position. Likewise people shouldnt place smaller items in the ground level storage when they could be easily placed overhead without risk....

Otherwise, why not change the luggage situation to something similar used on an airline, and place large bags/suitcases in a specified storage area at the end of the train.

Obviously this would only work on Intercity services, but surely thats the sort of journey that most people would be travelling with larger items?

 

[AndyLandy]

Common sense should be used in these sorts of situations, if the case is too big or heavy to go overhead then it simply cant be placed there and should be placed in an appropriate ground level position. Likewise people shouldnt place smaller items in the ground level storage when they could be easily placed overhead without risk....

That's the crux of the matter for me. Do we really need more announcements and warnings from Nanny State Britain? People should take some responsibility for their own safety and wellbeing, as well as for others around them.

Otherwise, why not change the luggage situation to something similar used on an airline, and place large bags/suitcases in a specified storage area at the end of the train.

Obviously this would only work on Intercity services, but surely thats the sort of journey that most people would be travelling with larger items?

That's a fairly reasonable idea, until you end up on a local connecting service with all your bags.

 

[O L Leigh]

Personal responsibility...? Ha!!

O L Leigh

 

[AndyLandy]

Personal responsibility...? Ha!!

O L Leigh

Perhaps I should have emboldened the word should, rather than some. But you are quite right, and it's a sad state of affairs that we laugh at the idea of people taking responsibility for their own actions.

 

[SussexMan]

Surely you are approaching this from the wrong angle.

There should be warning signs on the seats advising passengers to check the overhead luggage racks above their heads and to avoid sitting there if it looked like there could be a danger from falling objects (unless of course suitable headgear could be provided). If they fail to check then they surely would be liable. I can't see any way that the person who put it up there could be expected to know that it might fall down!

I disagree.

Some stock at least has warnings not to place heavy items of luggage in the overhead racks. Likewise, the person placing it up there knows precisely how secure it is in that position.

O L Leigh

I was being sarcastic! Of course the person who put it up there should take some responsibility (but if I was about to sit down I'd take some responsibility and either move it and/or think twice about sitting there!).

 

[yorkie]

I don't think the person sitting should in any way be liable - after all the object may fall onto seats not immediately adjacent.

The liability should completely be at the hands of the person who placed the item in the rack. NOT the victim and NOT the Train Company.

But that's what I think "should" happen, and the legal position may well be different (after all, some of our laws are bonkers ).

On the subject of who is liable for incidents and personal responsibility, I found this post on MSE First Capital Connect Accident quite 'interesting' to see how some people view these matters. The OP is a familiar name too.

 

[D365]

It's an improvement on FCC, where people seem allergic to using overhead racks, and dump everything in the aisle, often on your foot, instead...

Yep, there are pretty decent racks on the 365s at least.

It would help if there were more ground-level luggage storage facilities or if those present were made more obvious (I'm thinking the space between back to back seats on a 465 for example).

Do they have bins in between back-to-backs like on 365s?

 

[island]

There are a couple of bins per carriage in back-to-backs; the rest is empty space.