Call for Jaguar to make changes over boy's death

A CORONER has called on Jaguar Land Rover to re-evaluate the design of its £70,000 electric SUV, the I-PACE, following the death of a seven-year-old Plymouth boy last year.

- SHANNON BROWN & WILLIAM MORGAN

Alfie Tollett was tragically crushed between two vehicles while putting on his rugby boots. He was at Plymstock Albion Oaks RFC to watch a brother's rugby game when he found himself trapped between his family's parked car and a van, after a Jaguar I-PACE driver mistakenly pressed the wrong button in an attempt to reverse.

The 55-year-old driver of the SUV "relied on feel" to locate the reverse function but inadvertently accelerated forwards for roughly 10 seconds, driving the vehicle into Alfie.

Despite the swift attempts of Alfie's father to move the family car forward to free his son, the boy died shortly afterwards. A post-mortem examination determined that blunt force traumatic chest injuries were the cause of Alfie's death.