The father was seen cradling the child in his arms as he cried in despair, realizing that he had run over her in the driveway.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 22, 2022. It has since been updated.
A father accidentally ran over his one-year-old daughter, leading to her death, in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The heartbroken father was seen cradling the child in his arms as he cried in despair. According to witnesses, he was repeatedly saying, "I killed my child. She just ran out in front of me. I did not see her." According to social media accounts, the incident took place on Coupland Road on Friday evening, reports The Sun. The baby sustained life-threatening injuries, and officers and emergency personnel on the scene transported her to the hospital. One person on social media wrote, "I just left a horrific scene on a block of new houses. A woman was wailing. I saw a man holding a lifeless child in his arms."
Heartbroken father sobs 'I killed my child' as he cradles one-year-old baby girl's dying body after she was run over by car on driveway https://t.co/wrGzx3vGGh
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) September 17, 2022
"Everybody surrounded them. When I realized what had happened it just broke my heart. Parents, please take care of children. The poor darling," they added. Another person wrote, "So sad my thoughts & prayers are with the family, my son tried his best he gave this little girl CPR."
West Yorkshire Police reported that they were contacted about 8.10 p.m. on September 16 to reports of a one-year-old critically wounded in a driveway incident with a car. The child was transported to the hospital by emergency personnel, but she died from her injuries a short time later. "Police were called to an address on Coupland Road, Leeds at about 8.10 pm on Friday, September 16 to a report a one-year-old child had been seriously injured in a collision with a car on a driveway. Emergency Services attended the scene and a small female child was taken to hospital," a spokesperson from the department said.
They added, "Enquiries remain ongoing today by the Major Collision and Enquiry Team and specialist officers are working to support the family at what is clearly a tragic time." Incidents of parents accidentally running over their children in driveways have been increasing around the world. Earlier this month, a two-year-old boy was run over by his mother in the driveway of their home in Melbourne, per Daily Mail. The mother was reversing her car and did not see the child who had moved into the way of the vehicle. The boy died at the scene, according to authorities.
In another similar incident, a one-year-old child was killed in California when his father ran him over in the driveway. He was returning from work and did not see the child in his blind spot, per PEOPLE. He was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
References:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/19837948/girl-dies-car-driveway-dad/
https://people.com/human-interest/1-year-old-boy-dies-driveway-accident/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images/can72