Roland Krumins, was crushed by his own car. (Melanie Krumins via SWNS)
By Brad Deas and James Connolly
A grandfather died after being crushed by his own car when it rolled into him after he forgot to use the parking brake, an inquest heard.
Roland Krumins, 66, was trapped between the open driver's door and his vehicle as it crashed into a wall in Halifax, West Yorks, England.
The father of two suffered fatal crush injuries as he tried in vain to stop the car from moving.
Paying tribute, his heartbroken wife Melanie said: "He'll be really missed as a husband and father and grandad.
"He was just the perfect gentleman."
The tragedy happened on the morning of April 6 last year as Roland was driving to work.
Bradford Coroner's Court heard he had pulled over for an unknown reason, but failed to apply the electric parking brake on his black Land Rover Discovery.
As the car began to roll forward down the road, Roland got out and in what was described as an "instinctive reaction," tried to regain control.
But the vehicle veered towards a mill building — trapping him between the door and the car.
Assistant Coroner Angela Brocklehurst said Roland died from crush asphyxia and recorded a conclusion of accidental death.
The hearing was told the car was left in neutral with the keys in the ignition and the parking brake had not been engaged.
Forensic Collision Investigator PC Bhupinder Sood said Roland would have had no chance of stopping the vehicle once it began moving.
He said: "Someone isn't going to stop a vehicle at that weight.
"There is nothing he would have been able to do other than leave it.
"The way the marks are, it's happened so quick, it's unlikely he had time to get out the way."
Christopher Turner, who found Roland, said he saw the car with its hazard lights on and the driver's door open against the wall.
But on returning minutes later, he spotted Roland "laid half in and half out of the vehicle."
Emergency services were called but Roland, who was unconscious, was found to have no pulse and was pronounced dead.
There were no witnesses to the incident, and CCTV showed no issues with Roland's driving before the tragedy.
Roland's family said he had spent 45 years working in retail, rising to become a manager and making "many friends" along the way.
He met wife Melanie on a blind date almost four decades ago, and the couple married in 1990.
They went on to have two daughters and were later "blessed with grandchildren."
Speaking after the hearing, Melanie described her husband as a devoted family man, adding that "everything revolved around family."
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