Man demands compensation after ‘taxi ran over’ £200 Dr Martens

A furious passenger has demanded compensation after he claims a taxi drove over his Dr Marten-clad foot.

Alixander Ashton has raised his complaint with Staffordshire Police and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The 33-year-old had left a tattoo parlour and called a taxi to take him home.

Alixander, who was wearing £200 Dr Marten boots, also known as Doc Martens, claims the vehicle ‘ran over’ his foot on Mayne Street in Hanford.

He told the Stoke Sentinel: ‘I was visiting a friend and having a tattoo in Hanford. I had the tattoo and then ordered a taxi to pick me up.

‘I was putting my stuff in the back seat of the car when the driver ran over my foot. I don’t know how it happened but the car ended up on my foot. I only managed to get my foot out by wiggling my foot out from under the tyre.

‘I got to Stoke Station and I could feel my foot swelling and it had split the leather all down the side. I’ve only had the boots a few months.

‘I rang the taxi depot. I told them that a taxi had run over my foot and that it had caused some swelling and ruined my £200 pair of Dr Martens.’

Alixander, a hotel manager, demanded answers from Magnum Private Hire.

The company spoke to the driver at the centre of the dispute and cleared him of any wrong doing.

Waqas Yaqub, director of Magnum Private Hire, said: ‘Following a complaint received from Mr Ashton, we interviewed the driver in question.

‘Mr Ashton was contacted by one of the management team. He did not mention that he was injured although he did mention that he was not happy regarding having to pay the taxi fare. In line with our complaint’s procedure, at that juncture, we advised the customer to file his complaint with the local authority licensing department.

‘We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to the customer. However, on this occasion, we do not feel that the driver’s conduct has fallen below the standards that we set within our company.’

But Alixander is still calling for action.

He added: ‘It has caused some swelling on my foot, but it could have been a lot worse if I wasn’t wearing my Dr Martens boots.

‘I just want an apology and compensation. I’m not asking for anything extra, I just want my money back for the cost of the taxi and the cost of the damage caused to my property.’

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