BCA charged £1.1m after Porsche crushed auction car buyer

Used car remarketing giant BCA has been fined £1.1 million and ordered to pay £97,000 in costs after a car buyer was crushed by a Porsche at its Paddock Wood auction site in Kent.

The Kent Messenger newspaper reported how 76-year-old Geoffrey Husher was pinned against a barrier by his legs after the driver of the performance car allegedly pressed the brake and accelerator at the same time – causing it to lurch forwards off a ramp.

Prosecutor David Travers QC told Maidstone Crown Court that Mr Husher had been airlifted to hospital amid concerns that part of his legs might require amputation.

The keen dog walker needed a wheelchair to get around following the incident and died on August 22, 2019, from "reasons unrelated to the accident", he said.

The Porsche’s driver, Roderick Duncan (54) avoided criminal charges as the incident happened on private land.

However, BCA has admitted breaching health and safety laws.

Although BCA had taken a risk assessment about the site where cars were auctioned, Judge Philip St John-Stevens ruled that "absolutely no effort was made to restrict customers from being on the ramp".

The Kent Messenger reported that an investigation carried out by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council also identified the company had recognised potential hazards associated with pedestrians and vehicles and identified some controls but had failed to adequately implement those controls.

After the incident, the company instituted new safety measures, the court heard.