This is the shocking moment a man was almost crushed by his two-tonne Range Rover after a garage forgot to take it out of ‘maintenance mode’.
Carl Midgley, 60, had taken his 2015 Range Rover Evoque into a dealership not far from his home for work on its rear brakes.
But when his wife Joanne, 63, returned home and parked it up, the handbrake didn’t come on and she was left hanging out of the driver’s door desperately trying to struggle free as it careered down their drive.
As she battles to escape she is trapped by the door – and is forced to stumble alongside the vehicle as it picks up speed.
Footage captured by the couple’s CCTV shows Mr Midgley running over from the end of the couple’s drive to try and stop the SUV as it begins to roll towards him.
It was only brought to a halt when it finally struck their built-up flower bed just as it reached him – but the couple say it could have killed someone.
They are now demanding compensation – as Mr Midgley he has had to have physiotherapy on his back and it has exacerbated his a hip problem for his wife, who already walked with a stick.
‘I couldn’t have ever imagined this happening, but it did and it was very dangerous,’ Mr Midgley said.
When Joanne Midgley, 63, returned home and parked it up, the handbrake didn’t come on and she was left hanging out of the driver’s door desperately trying to struggle free as it careered down their drive
As she battles to escape she is trapped by the door – and is forced to stumble alongside the vehicle as it picks up speed
Carl Midgley, 60, had taken his 2015 Range Rover Evoque into a dealership not far from his home for work on its rear brakes. Pictured: With his wife Joanne
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‘The car had been to a Jaguar Landrover garage and when we returned we parked up, but unbeknown to us it had been left in a maintenance mode – the car usually automatically puts the handbrake on.
‘My wife was getting out and it dragged her down the drive. She was already waiting on a hip operation.
‘I’ve been having physio on my back. They have caused an injury to my back and made my wife’s hip worse.
‘They’ve now basically told us to go away.’
The Midgleys, who are foster carers, immediately contacted the garage after the incident in mid 2023.
Land Rover UK’s tech team inspected the car and said there was nothing wrong with it – but a mode used when working on the vehicle had accidentally been left on by the garage when it was collected by the couple.
After the smash, the car was damaged and needed repairs to its rear bumper, door, tyres and wheels which could cost several thousand pounds.
The garage, Vertu Land Rover in Guiseley, near Leeds, mended it for free.
The Midgleys, who are foster carers, immediately contacted the garage after the incident in mid 2023
It was only brought to a halt when it finally struck their built-up flower bed just as it reached him – but the couple say it could have killed someone
They are now demanding compensation – as Mr Midgley he has had to have physiotherapy on his back and it has exacerbated his a hip problem for his wife, who already walked with a stick
Land Rover UK’s tech team inspected the car and said there was nothing wrong with it – but a mode used when working on the vehicle had accidentally been left on by the garage when it was collected by the couple
But Mr Midgley says he has been left going back and forwards, complaining to the garage who are not prepared to compensate the pair further.
‘We often have our grandchildren over and are foster carers. That car could have killed a toddler,’ he continued.
‘I don’t believe what they have done for us is fair.’
A spokesperson for the dealership said: ‘This matter was resolved in 2023, with the customer accepting extensive goodwill gestures.
‘We are pleased that the customer is still using our services.’