Jaguar told to change design of £70,000 electric SUV after tragic death of boy

The driver hit the forward button instead of the reverse

Alfie Tollett was killed in an accident when he was crushed between two parked cars (Family handout/HCC Law/PA) (Devon and Cornwall Police / SWNS)

The parents of a boy who was tragically crushed when the driver of an electric car made a mistake while parking have called for a design overhaul.

Alfie Tollett was crushed between two parked cars when the driver of a £70,000 Jaguar I-Pace put the vehicle into drive instead of reverse by pressing the wrong button.

Currently, the car can be switched between the two by simply pressing one of two buttons on a console.

An inquest in Devon heard that Alfie suffered fatal crush injuries to his chest in February last year when he was trapped between his father’s car and a van as he changed his shoes.

The Jaguar driver had been attempting to park behind the van and was trying to straighten up when, instead of hitting the reverse button, he pushed the forward button, and, after he pressed the accelerator, the car moved forward, shunting the van into Alfie.

A Jaguar I-pace electric suv car showcased at the Paris Motor Show. Paris, France – October 2, 2018

The driver was not prosecuted because he died from natural causes shortly after the incident.

Alfie’s parents, Stephen and Gemma Tollett, called on Jaguar Land Rover to change what they see as a “design fault” to ensure no-one else suffers a similar tragedy.

“There is so much we could say about Alfie, but we just want everyone to know he was our amazing, cheeky, precious little boy who we all miss and love so very much,” they said.

“Alfie’s memory will always be kept going through his two brothers and sister. Keep chasing the Pokemons, riding the unicorns, and scoring the goals up there our special Alfie Moo.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has sent kind messages of support for our family since that terrible day. Alfie will be forever in our hearts.

“We thank the coroner for her findings and the confirmation that she will write to Jaguar Land Rover about whether additional steps can be taken to make this electric car safer.

“We would welcome anything that prevents any other family from having to go through what we have as a family, and that includes all manufacturers of electric vehicles to review their control designs in light of this case.

“We have lost our beautiful son Alfie because of what we see as a design flaw and we are passionate for this to never happen again.”

Alfie Tollett had been watching his brother play at Plymtock Albion Oaks rugby club (Google Maps)

An inquest into Alfie’s death recorded a conclusion of an accident but Deborah Archer, Assistant Coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, said she was concerned about the design of the car.

She wrote: “There were a number of errors that were made by the driver which caused or contributed to the death.

“However, these errors occurred as a result of there being no intermediary step within the Jaguar I-Pace being necessary to put the car into drive/reverse other than pressing a button.

“In the police officer’s opinion, if there had also been a lever or something similar present in the vehicle that needed to be engaged before a button was pressed this may have alerted the drive to the fact that he had pushed the incorrect button on the three-button console.”

Writing to the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, she said there is a risk more deaths could occur “unless action is taken”.

Jaguar Land Rover has until October 22 to respond to the coroner’s concerns.

In a statement, the manufacturer said: “We have received correspondence from the coroner and shall be responding in due course.

“Our thoughts and sympathies, however, are with the family of Alfie Tollett following his accidental death.”

Hollie Muckley, from law firm HCC, who supported the family at the inquest, said: “The coroner has now formally concluded the inquest and, although this was hugely challenging for the family, it has gone some way to answering key questions they had about the circumstances.

“The family await the response from Jaguar Land Rover in relation to the prevention of future deaths order instructed by the coroner.”