A vehicle recovery driver has been given a suspended prison sentence after a Range Rover rolled out of control down a steep hill in Bournemouth, seriously injuring a man who tried to help.

Sean Baker, 55, who worked for GRS Recovery Bournemouth, was carrying out a recovery operation on Exeter Crescent on March 22, 2024, when the two-tonne vehicle began rolling downhill.

CCTV showed Baker being dragged beneath the Range Rover after it moved away unexpectedly. Nearby worker Kai Dransfield saw what was happening and tried to help, but was struck and pulled underneath the vehicle himself.

Mr Dransfield suffered multiple fractures to both legs and injuries to his spine. The Health and Safety Executive said he continues to live with constant pain and difficulty walking more than four years after the incident.

HSE found vehicle had not been properly secured

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found Baker had initially attached a winch to the front of the Range Rover, but later removed it before jacking up the vehicle and placing skates beneath the rear wheels.

The wheels had not been secured with chocks and no breakaway cables were fitted. When the vehicle was lowered onto the skates, there was nothing preventing it from rolling down the incline.

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

At Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, October 16, he was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

HSE inspector Alexander Ashen said Baker was an experienced recovery driver and that failing to properly secure a vehicle weighing more than two tonnes on a steep hill was a “fundamental error”.

He said the failings exposed people nearby to serious risk and resulted in a member of the public suffering life-changing injuries.