A family have paid tribute to their "cheeky, precious" son after he was tragically killed by an electric car when the driver pressed the wrong button. Alfie Tollett, aged seven, died after he was caught between two cars at Plymstock Albion Oaks RFC in Plymouth on February 19, 2023. The boy, who had been watching his brother play rugby , found himself trapped while putting on his boots.
The driver, who was behind the wheel of a Jaguar Land Rover I-PACE , had "relied on feel" to find the reverse button but instead accelerated forwards for about 10 seconds - causing Alfie to be accidentally crushed to death. Despite dad Stephen's attempts to free his son, Alfie sadly died shortly after. Stephen and his wife Gemma have since shared a heartfelt tribute to their son after Plymouth Coroner Deborah Archer issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report, highlighting both a potential issue with the I-PACE design and the driver's "number of errors".
Stephen and Gemma Tollett, Alfie's parents, said: "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. Alfie's memory will always be kept going through his two brothers and sister," reports Plymouth Live. "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." At the end of an inquest into Alfie's death Ms Archer issued her report, urging Jaguar to take measures to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
She said: "In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action." The Jaguar I-Pace does not have a regular gear stick, but instead uses an automatic system with three buttons: drive, neutral, and reverse. In the incident February 19 the driver - a 55-year-old man - "used his left hand to select the reverse button" as he tried to realign the vehicle, which belonged to his wife.
But police found he had failed to ensure he was in reverse before pressing the accelerator. He also did not use the brakes, even as his car moved forward for 10 seconds and collided with the van parked ahead. The coroner also urged Jaguar Land Rover to reconsider the design of its £70,000 SUVs.
The Tollett family said in response: "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.
" Jaguar Land Rover has until October 22 to respond to the report..
