A coroner has issued an urgent safety warning to Jaguar after a seven-year-old boy was crushed to death between two cars as he changed out of his rugby boots.
Alfie Tollett was standing behind his family’s car when the driver of a £70,000 electric SUV wrongly put his car into drive instead of reverse.
The youngster had been watching his brother play at Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby club in Plymouth on February 19 last year when the horror incident occurred.
The inquest heard that the unnamed driver of the I-PACE vehicle ‘relied on feel’ to select the reverse button but drove forward for up to 10 seconds.
Jaguar I-PACEs do not have a conventional gear stick but instead there are three buttons drivers can select – drive, neutral and reverse.
Alfie Tollett (pictured) was standing behind his family’s car when the driver of a £70,000 electric SUV wrongly put the car into drive instead of reverse
The youngster, who had been watching his brother play at Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby club in Plymouth (pictured) on February 19 last year, was taken to hospital where he later died
Following the inquest, assistant coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, Deborah Archer, said there were ‘a number of errors’ that were made by the driver which ’caused or contributed to the death’.
But she also suggested that if the design of the car had been different, the tragedy could have been prevented.
Writing to the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, she said there was a risk more deaths could occur ‘unless action is taken’.
At his inquest which finished last month, it was heard Alfie and his family had been at Plymstock Albion Rugby Football club to watch his older brother play in a training match.
While changing his boots behind the family car, he became trapped between it and another parked van, after an electric car hit into it.
The driver ‘used his left hand to select the reverse button to straighten the vehicle up’ but did not check the button to see if he had correctly selected it – where he instead ‘relied on feel’.
As a result, the Jaguar moved forwards instead of backwards as reverse had not been selected.
The car did not have a conventional gear stick but instead has three buttons drivers can select – drive, neutral and reverse.
He failed to notice that the reversing warning alarm had not engaged and collided with van and continued to accelerate pushing the white VW van forwards, trapping Alfie between the van and his dad’s car.
His father immediately got into his car and moved it forward to release Alfie, who fell to the ground.
Tragically, Alfie was taken to hospital where he later died in what was categorised as an ‘accidental’ death.
At the time, a 55-year-old man was arrested by police on suspicion of causing death by careless driving.
However, there has since been no prosecution of the driver because he died shortly after the incident, it was heard.
In a Prevention of Future Death report, Ms Archer revealed there is a risk that similar deaths could happen again.
The driver of the Jaguar I-PACE vehicle accidently put it into drive rather than reverse. File picture of Jaguar I-PACE
‘Although it is accepted that this death was accidental, during the inquest the following information came to light as a result of the investigating police officer giving evidence,’ she wrote.
‘There were a number of errors that were made by the driver which caused or contributed to the death.
‘These were wrongly placing the car in drive instead of reverse.
‘Failing to look down at the camera and pressing the button to move forward by touch alone.
‘Failing to realise that the reversing warning sound which was said to be very difficult to hear inside the car was not engaged.
‘Driving forward and continuing to do so for 8-10 seconds after the accelerator was pressed.
‘Failing to press the brake at any time.
‘However, these errors occurred as a result of there being no intermediary step within the Jaguar ipace being necessary to put the car into drive/reverse other than pressing a button.
‘In the police officer’s opinion if there had also been a lever or something similar present in the vehicle that needed to be engaged before a button was pressed this may have alerted [the driver] to the fact that he had pushed the incorrect button on the three button console.’
She continued: ‘In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action.’
Ms Archer added that the car firm is under a duty to respond by October 22.
A spokesperson for Jaguar said: ‘We have received correspondence from the Coroner and shall be responding in due course.’
‘Our thoughts and sympathies, however, are with the family of Alfie Tollett, following his accidental death.’