Recovery driver jailed after unsecured Range Rover rolls down hill, injuring Good Samaritan

On 22 March 2024, Sean Baker, employed by GRS Recovery Bournemouth, was tasked with recovering a Range Rover on Exeter Crescent. After initially securing the vehicle with a winch, he later removed it, lifted the car, and placed skates under the rear wheels without using chocks or breakaway cables. When the handbrake failed, the two-tonne vehicle rolled down the steep street, dragging Baker along.

Kai Dransfield, who was on a break from his shift at TGI Fridays, saw Baker hanging from a rear wheel and tried to assist, only to be hit and pulled under the 4x4, sustaining severe leg and spinal injuries. The Health and Safety Executive concluded that Baker had not taken reasonable care for his own safety or that of others, violating established recovery procedures and Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

He pleaded guilty and received a 14-week prison term, suspended for one year, at Bournemouth Crown Court. HSE inspector Alexander Ashen emphasized the seriousness of the error, noting the high-traffic town-centre location and the life-changing impact on the victim.