Car firm says no change needed after tragedy

ALFIE, 7, DIED AFTER JAGUAR DRIVER MADE FATAL ERROR

- CARL EVE

A CAR firm which was urged by a coroner to examine the electronic transmission of one of its vehicles after the tragic death of a young boy has said the car meets "all legal requirements" and "no changes" were required.

Plymouth Coroner Deborah Archer issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report last year at the conclusion of an inquest into the death of seven-yearold Alfie Tollett, who lost his life on February 19, 2023.

Alfie was at Plymstock Albion Oaks RFC in Plymouth for one of his brothers' rugby games 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 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 Alfie's father's swift attempts to move the family car forward to free his son, the boy tragically passed away shortly afterwards. The post-mortem examination determined that blunt force traumatic chest injuries were the cause of Alfie's untimely death.