Christian Tuvi Statement

Speaking on behalf of the family their Solicitor, Charlotte Rankin, a Senior Associate Solicitor here at Simpson Millar, who has been instructed to support them during investigations into his death, said they remain ‘in limbo’, awaiting answers as to what happened, and whether more could have been done to protect Christian at work.

In 2020, Charlotte launched the #KeepMeSafe campaign in order to drive greater awareness around workplace safety, she said around the launch, “One year on, it’s understandable that the family remain absolutely devastated by Christian’s death. He was a hardworking loving father, and the last thing they expected when he went to work was that they would have a knock on the door from the police to tell them that he had been involved in such a horrific incident.

"Of course, given the tragic consequences, and the complexity of the circumstances surrounding what happened, the family understand the need for thorough investigations to take place. They are also very mindful of the limitations caused by the Covid-19 crisis and are therefore very grateful to everyone who is working so hard under such difficult circumstances.

“Sadly, however, while the family are being kept informed of progress, the ongoing nature of the investigations do mean that they remain very much in limbo, and desperate for answers as to what happened and whether more could have been done to protect Christian. “It is their hope that all investigations will conclude as quickly as is possible, and that as part of this they will have the reassurance they need that lessons learnt from what occurred are acted upon to ensure nothing like this happens again moving forward.”

Three Years On

Four years since Christian’s death, and the inquest has only just concluded. Court documents show that the company who he had worked as a sub-contractor for had admitted liability in April 2022, though there are now ongoing disputes surrounding the amount of compensation.

On the 10^th July 2023 the coroner on Christian’s case submitted a Prevention of future deaths report to the Department for Transport and Road & Rail, in order to contest the inquest that was concluded this year. It shows that on the 1st March 2022, the British Transport Police (BTP) informed the coroner that there were to be no charges and that the matter was then referred to the Office for Road and Rail. The senior coroner will now continue the investigation based off the BTP’s recommendations.  

The coroner reported that the actions that should be taken are as follows:

“The public cannot be assured that the lessons have been learnt from this tragedy unless the redesigned improved system of work for cleaners is implemented with appropriate training and leadership in a permanent sustainable contracting system. These matters remain in dispute and may need political and regulatory enforcement.”

After this report, he gave the Transport for London and the Department for Transport up until September 2023 to respond with an outcome. Since then, Transport for London has admitted fault, and has conducted a full review of all safety precautions. This includes all training of inching activities related to engineers, and new measures that will be put in place.

Here at Simpson Millar, we are saddened by the distressing death relating to Christian, and we are working with his wife, Ms Avensu, in seeking the compensation that her and her children deserve. The process has been ongoing for many years, but now there has been an admittance of fault, we are one step closer to seeing Ms Avensu and her children receive suitable compensation.

The family also expressed their gratitude to everyone who has demonstrated their support over the past years, and to those who have taken the time to remember Christian, and to those who continue to keep them in their prayers.

Along with this, the family would also like to thank the press for respecting their privacy at this ongoing difficult time and ask that any media enquiries are fielded through their legal team at Simpson Millar.

This is the sole reason we launched the #KeepMeSafe campaign, as we want to help people understand their own responsibilities and also those of their employer and other people and organisations they come into contact with throughout their lives to help reduce the number of accidents and injuries.

Our military lawyers are here to help people who have been injured through no fault of their own, but our goal is to try to reduce the number of people who are killed or injured through accidents each year, like Christian. Contact us on 0808 239 0244 for a free chat about your case, as we are ready to support you every step of the way.