A WOMAN was left bloodied and bruised after being dragged along the road by a tow truck outside her Highgate home

Tan Parsons

A WOMAN was left bloodied and bruised after being dragged along the road by a tow truck outside her Highgate home.

Orisha Bartley, 27, was returning from the school-run at 10.30am last Friday when she saw her boyfriend's car was about to be towed from her driveway in Tudor Close.

She persuaded the Wing Security officer to wait while she removed some items from the car, but he pulled away while the upper half of her body was still in the car - dragging her along the road behind him.

She said: "It was absolutely horrible and unbelievable - I'm still in shock. My feet were on the grassy verge and my hands were inside the car - then I felt it pull away. At first I thought it was an accident - that the handbrake must have come off, but he started picking up speed.

"It was going faster and faster and my legs were dragging along the ground. I ripped all my nails off holding on for dear life to the middle panel of the car.

"I reached the point where I had to make a decision to let go because if I'd carried on I could have swung out and been hit by a car. My legs were getting dragged along the outside.

"Then when I let go I was rolling and hit the floor. I tore a ligament in my knee, I had cuts and grazes on my hands and on my right knee. The driver stopped and looked back at me. He saw me lift my head up and then he sped away. I shouted for him to stop but he didn't."

Ms Bartley was taken to North Middlesex Hospital where she received treatment for her injuries and she later reported the incident at Hornsey Police Station. She was told to fill in a road traffic accident form and is now gathering witness statements from a crowd of onlookers who saw the incident.

She said: "I started crying - and I never normally cry. It was horrible and I was in shock - I just couldn't believe it had happened.

"I don't know why he did it because we were having a normal conversation to start with and I was incredibly polite."

Ms Bartley is due to start a new job as a bus driver on February 25 and she is worried it could be affected by the injuries she suffered in the incident, which also include a sore back and head.

But she is not one to dwell on her horrible experience. "My little brother helped me see the funny side."

Highgate Police did not have a record of the complaint, but a Homes for Haringey spokeswoman said: "Wing Security deny all the allegations made by the customer. The customer is entitled to make a written appeal through our parking appeals process.

"Under the terms of the estate controlled parking scheme, it is the responsibility of residents to ensure their own vehicles and those of their visitors are parked properly on their estates."

tan.parsons@hamhigh.co.uk