Recovery driver sentenced after runaway car crushes passerby who tried to help

A vehicle recovery driver failed to secure a Range Rover that afterwards rolled down a hill, dragging him down and crushing a member of the public attempting to help.

Sean Baker received a 14-week prison sentence suspended for a year at Bournemouth Crown Court, where CCTV footage was shown of the moment the two-tonne vehicle began rolling down Exeter Crescent during a recovery operation on 22 March 2024.

Baker, a vehicle recovery driver for GRS Recovery Bournemouth, was trapped under its wheel and being dragged along, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Kai Dransfield, a TGI Fridays worker who was on his break when he saw Baker trapped under the runaway Range Rover, said the recovery driver was “hanging on for dear life”.

Mr Dransfield said: “He made eye contact with me, and my first thought was to just grab him to try and help him.”

But Mr Dransfield was hit by the vehicle when he tried to help. It rolled over both of his legs, causing serious injuries including multiple broken bones in his legs and fractures to his spine, the HSE said.

“Sean Baker’s failings were substantial; they exposed everyone nearby to risk and resulted in a member of the public, who stepped in to help, suffering life-changing injuries,” said HSE inspector Alexander Ashen after the sentencing hearing.

Mr Dransfield continues to suffer chronic pain more than two years after the incident, and has difficulty walking.

An HSE investigation found Baker had initially attached a winch to the front of the Range Rover, which would have prevented the vehicle rolling away if the handbrake was released or failed.

But Baker later removed the winch, jacked up the vehicle and placed skates beneath the rear wheels.

Because the wheels were not secured with chocks and no breakaway cables were attached, nothing prevented the vehicle from rolling backwards when it was lowered onto the skates.

The investigation concluded Baker failed to take reasonable care for his own safety and that of others by not following established recovery procedures.

The HSE also found that his actions fell below the standard expected of a competent and experienced recovery driver.

Baker later pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Mr Ashen added: “Sean Baker was an experienced recovery driver.

“Failing to properly secure a vehicle weighing more than two tonnes on a steep hill was a fundamental error.

“This happened in a busy town centre, close to restaurants and car parks, with vehicles, motorcyclists and pedestrians regularly passing through the area.”