2:03 pm, February 27, 2025
A used car dealer has been ordered to pay out more than £9,000 after a pensioner suffered ‘serious injuries’ when he fell six feet over a forecourt wall.
The customer was inspecting a silver Skoda Yeti at Autodeals of Stroud in Gloucestershire when he was knocked backwards while opening the tailgate.
The impact was enough to send the man into a shin-high wall behind where he was stood with, sending him tumbling onto the tarmac below.
Health and safety inspectors say the man fell around six feet and was left hospitalised for five weeks by his injuries.
Now, Michael Davies, boss of Autodeals of Stroud, has appeared before Gloucestershire Magistrates Court in Cheltenham, where was sentenced for failing in his duty to ensure the safety of visitors to his work premises.
During the proceedings, the bench was shown footage of the 2022 incident, which shows the victim stumbling backwards and disappearing over the wall.
Magistrates heard that the victim suffered a ‘life-changing’ neck injury which continues to impact his mobility to this day.
At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday (Feb 25), Davies was fined £3,600 and ordered to pay all the council’s costs of £5329.50, as well as a £190 victim surcharge.
Overall, the dealer was ordered to pay out combined an eye-watering £9,119.50.
After the sentencing hearing, Stroud District Council’s health and safety officer, David Peacock who investigated the incident said: ‘The victim was very badly injured by an entirely foreseeable event.
‘The low wall which the injured person fell over had concrete posts long its length and had clearly been designed to have fence panels installed to guard the drop below.
‘If this fence had been maintained visitors would have been prevented from falling.
‘This case shows the importance of conducting a suitable and sufficient health and safety risk assessment of the workplace, identifying hazards to the public and visitors as well as employees.’
Chloe Turner, chair of the council’s environment committee, added: ‘This was a dreadful and entirely avoidable incident which left the victim very seriously hurt. I am grateful to our health and safety officers for investigating this case.’
