Father crushed to death by his own car when his son, 7, let off handbrake while looking for sweets

A father was crushed to death by his own car after his seven-year-old son accidentally released the handbrake while looking for sweets, an inquest have proved.

Pratik Pandya, 48, tried to stop the car containing his boy rolling away when he was killed on his driveway.

He suffered abdominal injuries and a deep cut to his left leg when the VW Touran pinned him against a wall outside the family home in Isleworth, west London.

Immediately after the accident, his unnamed son told his mum: 'It’s my fault, he was trying to rescue me.'

The little boy later admitted accidentally releasing the handbrake as he searched for gum, West London Coroners' Court heard.

Mr Pandya, an IT consultant, died two days later in hospital after three operations to try to stop internal bleeding.

He was preparing to go shopping with his son and his accountant wife when tragedy struck on May 5 this year.

Reading a statement made by Mr Pandya’s wife Nikhila, deputy coroner Elizabeth Pygott said: 'She could see the Touran rolling backwards with her son sat in the middle.

'Her husband was not sat inside the vehicle when it was rolling, and the driver’s door was open. Her husband was half in and half out of the vehicle.

'She could see he was attempting to do something in order to stop the vehicle, but was looking confused and unable to know what to do to stop it.’

Mr Pandya spotted the car rolling away as he went inside the semi-detached house to collect something, and rushed outside to try to stop it.

Jane Carne, the first paramedic on the scene, said: 'He tried to stop it but got caught between the wall and the car.

'There was a lot of blood coming out of one of his calves on his left leg, and I could see a lot of blood in the foot well of the car.’

Mrs Pandya said her husband had 'twisted himself free’ after being trapped against the wall, and sat in the driver’s seat until paramedics arrived.

'Her husband was telling her he thought the child had released the handbrake,' Ms Pygott said.

The inquest heard how the boy had revealed more about the incident more than a fortnight later, on May 23.

'She was with her son and sister in law, having a conversation, when Mrs Pandya said she wished the accident hadn’t happened,’ said Ms Pygott.

'Her son said he wished he hadn’t sat on the handbrake. He thought he had come in contact with the handbrake on his search for gum.’

The inquest heard the boy was strapped into a seat in the back of the car, but was able to undo the restraints and would often look in the front seat for sweets and mints.

More than 30 family and friends had just left the house when the accident happened, and many rushed back to help an 'inconsolable’ Mrs Pandya.

Mr Pandya was taken to West Middlesex University Hospital around 45 minutes after the crash after complaining of back and arm pain.

He was rushed into surgery where three litres of blood from internal injuries was removed, and it was discovered his colon had been severely damaged.

His condition deteriorated despite undergoing three operations for internal bleeding, and died at 7.05pm on May 7, two days after being admitted to hospital.

His death was initially put down to a combination of internal bleeding and abdominal injuries.

Ms Pygott said no one is to blame for Mr Pandya’s death after hearing it was unlikely the handbrake of the people carrier had been released accidentally.

The coroner said Mr Pandya’s son should not shoulder responsibility for the freak accident as she recorded a verdict of accidental death.

'It is not for me to say, but it is not apparent there is anyone to blame for this, especially Mr Pandya’s young son,' she said.

'It is plain to me, very strongly, that this was an accident. It is not something someone could have prevented, it was untoward.’

Crash investigator PC Martin Fearon inspected Mr Pandya’s car nearly two weeks after the crash, and found the handbrake was stiff but not defective.

'I examined the handbrake up to five clicks and found it held securely on a slope of a similar degree,' he said.

'My conclusion was if the handbrake was securely applied, it would hold on a slope of up to four degrees.’

Ms Pygott commented: 'It would seem pretty unlikely a seven-year-old child is going to be able to operate that unless it was done deliberately.’

PC Fearon replied: 'I would find it unlikely.'

The inquest heard Mr Pandya was crushed against a pillar at the end of a garden wall, with the full force of the two-tonne car bearing down on him.

'It appears to me he attempted to get back into the vehicle as it rolled back down the drive,' PC Fearon said.

'He would have the whole weight of the vehicle through the thin edge of the door on his abdomen. It also appears, from the denting of the vehicle, that his knees and legs were doubled up around his body.’

Ms Pygott said the medical staff at West Middlesex University Hospital made all reasonable efforts to save Mr Pandya, before he died of internal injuries and bleeding.

Surgeon Jason Smith said Mr Pandya lost 60 per cent of his blood after the initial accident, and lost a further 1.6 litres as his body struggled handle the severe internal injuries.

'He was very unwell and had a massive blood transfusion,' he said. 'I couldn’t stop all of the bleeding.’

Mr Pandya died despite several blood transfusions and three operations to try to stem the bleeding and release pressure on his abdomen.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Ms Pygott said: 'In trying to prevent his car from rolling backwards down the front drive on to the road, he became trapped between the driver’s door of the car and a brick pillar at the top of the drive.

'It caused severe internal injuries which were not amenable to treatment.’

She recorded a verdict of accidental death and said the cause of death was haemorrhaging and internal abdominal injuries.