SNCB sends €19,000 damage bill to dead girl's mother

A mother whose 12-year-old daughter was killed by a train while taking a selfie has received a €19,000 bill from the SNCB for damage caused to its infrastructure.

Charlotte Nuñez was posing for a photo with friends on a rail station platform when she died in the freak accident in June 2014.

"Because my daughter was a minor, I'm responsible for damage caused by the accident," her mother Carla told Het Laatste Nieuws.

"When you get such a letter, it knocks you sideways. I almost called [SNCB chief executive] Jo Cornu to ask what the hell they were thinking."

The paper reports that the SNCB only pursues grieving relatives for damages if it knows that they have family insurance cover.

The bill has angered Flemish member of parliament David Geerts, who said: "How can we ignore the emotional impact of such a letter, sent to people who have lost a loved one?

"Instead of sending them a bill for damages, even if they do not have to pay themselves, it would be better to show empathy."

Photo: Screengrab from YouTube tribute video