The grief-stricken dad cradled his dying daughter's body in his arms waiting for help to arrive.
In what can only be described as an unfathomable tragedy, a father accidentally knocked down and killed his baby with his car on their driveway in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The devastated man cried out in agony as he held his dying one-year-old girl in his arms. The Sun reports that witnesses heard him cry out, "I killed my child. She just ran out in front of me. I did not see her."
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
West Yorkshire Police received a call at about 8.10 pm on September 16 to report the one-year-old's serious injuries after a collision with a car on a driveway. Though the emergency services rushed the baby, who suffered life-threatening injuries to a hospital, she did not make it and was later pronounced dead. A spokesperson for the force said, "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."
Some of the witnesses described "the horrific scene" on social media. One person said that they saw a woman wailing. "I saw a man holding a lifeless child in his arms," the witness recalled before adding the traumatized father's words: "I killed my child. She ran out in front of me. I didn’t see her." The witness described the event as heartbreaking and added, "Parents please take care of children. The poor darling." Others shared their condolences. One person tweeted, "My thoughts are with the parents. So sad, so sorry for what happened."
Baby girl dies in dad's arms after being hit by car on driveway https://t.co/LT1qzQY1GH
— The Sun (@TheSun) September 18, 2022
A similar case took place right here in the US in Tulsa, Oklahoma earlier this year. A dad accidentally ran over his 2-year-old son with the right rear wheel trying to park his truck. The baby was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but died overnight from his injuries. According to PEOPLE, in a statement, the Tulsa Police Department said, "The family said they arrived home from the grocery store and parked the truck out front. The dad opened the front door of the house, and the mom got out of the truck with the toddler."
After getting out of the vehicle, "the woman started walking toward the house with her son." The father did not know that the 2-year-old then "ran back toward the truck." According to the police, when the dad went to pull the truck into the driveway, he felt a bump. "He got out and learned that the 2-year-old boy ran back toward the truck, and he had run over him with the right rear wheel."
Representational Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Jack Berman