Full Breakdown
Recovery Driver’s Safety Lapses Lead to Range Rover Roll-Down and Injuries in Bournemouth
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
On March 22, 2024, Sean Baker, 55, a recovery driver for GRS Recovery Bournemouth, attended a broken-down Range Rover on a steep hill in Exeter Crescent. While attempting to jack the vehicle, Baker removed the winch that had been attached to the front and placed skates beneath the rear wheels without using wheel chocks or breakaway cables. The vehicle rolled downhill, trapping Baker beneath it and dragging him along the road. Bystander Kai Dransfield, on a break from TGI Fridays, witnessed the event, saw Baker “hanging on for dear life,” and tried to intervene. Dransfield was struck by the moving Range Rover, which crushed both of his legs and caused spinal fractures. He was airlifted to Southampton Hospital by the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and later discharged from hospital after his condition ceased to be life-threatening.
Safety Procedures and HSE Findings
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation determined that Baker failed to follow established safety procedures for recovering a vehicle weighing more than two tonnes on a steep incline. Inspector Alexander Ashen noted that the initial winch placement on the vehicle’s front would have prevented the roll-away, but the subsequent removal of the guardrail and use of rear-wheel skates left the vehicle unsecured. The HSE concluded that Baker did not take reasonable precautions required under Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Baker pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. Judge Evans KC sentenced him to a 14-week prison term, suspended for 12 months. The court ordered 210 hours of unpaid work, a £187 victim surcharge, and did not require compensation because Baker has been out of work since the incident. Dorset Police confirmed that the injured passer-by was no longer in a life-threatening condition after treatment.
Aftermath and Ongoing Effects
Both Baker and Dransfield continue to experience chronic pain and mobility challenges. The incident prompted renewed scrutiny of recovery-driver safety practices in busy town-centre environments, highlighting the critical need for adherence to vehicle-securing protocols to protect workers and the public.