A tourist suffered a heart attack after she received an electric shock while posing for a photo in a London park, her relatives have claimed.
Anastasija Grigorjeva, 21, is said to have received the shock from a loose wire when she put her foot in a metal grate in St James’s Park.
She suffered a heart attack and collapsed to the ground following the incident in July.
Paramedics restarted her heart but she suffered a serious brain injury, has a three-month gap in her memory, and has been left with nerve damage in her foot, relatives have claimed.
Ms Grigorjeva, a physiotherapy student from Latvia, is now taking legal action against the Royal Parks charity, which manages St James’s Park, through Osbornes Law.
She had been visiting her sister Snezana, 27, who lives in London, and had stopped to take a photo by a metal grate while they were on a walk in the park.
Snezana claimed: “We had just given my sister a Polaroid camera for her birthday and she wanted to take a photo on the metal grate in the park as it was lit up as it was after dark.
“I suddenly heard my sister whimper and looked around and she was passed out on the floor – her foot was in the grate.
“At first, I thought she might have broken her foot, but she wasn’t making a sound and she would have been screaming in agony if she had broken something.
“I touched her and felt a tingling in my hand and I shouted out that she was being electrocuted.”
Police and paramedics at the scene restarted Ms Grigorjeva’s heart. She was taken to hospital where she spent three weeks in intensive care.
Snezana, who is acting on her sister’s behalf in the legal case as she does not have the capacity to represent herself, said: “My sister is still suffering memory loss and doesn’t remember anything from May to July.
“Sometimes, she doesn’t remember yesterday and sometimes, she can’t recall what happened in the morning.
“It is deeply affecting her life. She also can’t bend her foot properly which makes her really upset as she can’t walk properly.”
Magdalena Knez, a specialist personal injury lawyer from Osbornes Law, who is representing Ms Grigorjeva, said: “My client was enjoying a holiday visiting her sister when her life was changed forever.
“Doctors said she was lucky to have survived the electric shock and her family are understandably angry that this was allowed to happen.
“I would urge the Royal Parks to admit liability in this matter as soon as possible so that my client can move on and start to rebuild her life.”
The Health and Safety Executive investigated the incident but no criminal charges were brought.
A Royal Parks spokesman said: “We are sorry to confirm that an incident occurred in St James’s Park in the early hours of one weekend in July 2024, in which a woman was injured.
“Our thoughts remain with the person involved. The Health and Safety Executive was notified and has completed its investigation with the full co-operation of the Royal Parks and will not be taking any action.
“Whilst we are not able to comment on an individual legal case, we want to reassure the public that St James’s Park provides a safe environment for all.”
