Amazon criticised after dog run over by van

Steve Cockerham's dog Molly was injured when she was hit by a delivery driver's van

A dog owner has criticised Amazon for their "insulting" response after a delivery driver working for the company ran over his pet dog, leaving it seriously hurt.

Molly, a 12-year-old German Shepherd, suffered "extensive tissue and ligament damage" in the incident in Otley, Leeds, on 21 September, her owner Steve Cockerham said.

Mr Cockerham said the veterinary bills for Molly's treatment had so far cost him £1,200, and claimed Amazon had sent him a dog bed worth £25 by way of an apology.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed they were aware of the incident involving one of their "delivery service partners" and said they were "working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible".

Mr Cockerham said he had not seen the incident, which happened on the driveway of his home and which was captured on CCTV, taking place.

However, he did spot the driver "leaving in a rush" after delivering a gift to mark his 20-year wedding anniversary.

He said that later that day, he noticed Molly was in "quite a lot of distress" but remained unsure as to why.

Mr Cockerham said the family was "absolutely devastated" when CCTV footage showed Molly had been run over by the Amazon driver's van.

The footage shows the driver approaching the driveway of the house slowly, before one dog moves past the vehicle.

Molly remains lying on the ground until the van is about to make contact with her, then appears to try and move before both she and the front of the vehicle move out of sight.

Mr Cockerham said: "We were just grateful none of the wheels actually passed over her and she was just trapped underneath the van and managed to scramble out of the side, but it's absolutely horrifying."

He criticised the driver's "lack of care and attention".

Mr Cockerham said Molly's veterinary treatment could continue for "years", but claimed Amazon had told him the firm would not review his claim for costs until her treatment had finished.

"We are quite significantly out of pocket now and Amazon just appear to be turning a blind eye," he said.

"It would be much more appropriate to be settling our veterinary bills on an ongoing basis."

Meanwhile, Mr Cockerham criticised Amazon's decision to send a dog bed.

"It feels a little bit insulting that they are prepared to walk away from the real issue and think that the dog bed solves the problem.

"I would like to speak to somebody at Amazon to get some kind of acknowledgement of the distress and the turmoil this has caused."

An Amazon spokesperson said their delivery drivers were independent contractors and not directly hired by Amazon.

They added that compensation was the responsibility of the delivery company.

Mr Cockerham said he had spoken to police about the incident and the BBC has approached West Yorkshire Police for comment.

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