A woman was dragged by her SUV after a garage error caused it to roll. Her husband narrowly avoided being crushed.
Carl Midgley took his Range Rover to a local shop. He needed work done on the rear brakes. The couple picked up the car later, drove home, and parked. The car should have automatically engaged the parking brake.
Carl, age 60, got out of the SUV. His wife started to step out as well. The car then began rolling backward down the driveway.
CCTV footage shows Joanne, 63, being dragged backward. She stumbled alongside the moving vehicle. Carl ran to stop the car and was nearly run over in the process.
The car stopped when it hit a flower bed border. Land Rover’s tech team inspected the car. They claimed nothing was wrong with it after all.
The garage, Vertu Land Rover, made the error. They forgot to disengage “maintenance mode.” The couple said someone could have died. The incident happened mid-2023.
Carl said he never imagined this happening. He added that it was a very dangerous situation for them. The garage left it in maintenance mode. His wife was getting out when it happened and she was already waiting for a hip operation.
The accident worsened Joanne’s hip problems. Carl has back problems, needing physiotherapy to recover.
The couple wants Vertu Land Rover to pay them. They want compensation for their injuries. The dealership fixed the car for free, but won’t offer more compensation.
Carl said the garage basically told them to leave. A dealership spokesperson claims the matter was resolved in 2023. The customer accepted goodwill gestures, and the dealership is happy he uses their services.