Eloise Jackson's family could not bear to be in the house near which their precious child was killed and so they moved away.
A devastated mother gave a heartbreaking tribute to her "beautiful, courageous" daughter who was fatally hit by a lorry while riding her bicycle. For Laura, July 13, 2021, will forever be etched in her mind as it was the day her daughter Eloise Jackson was run over at a junction on a busy road in the village of Collingbourne Ducis in Wiltshire. To celebrate the life of her "wonderful daughter whom I was blessed to call my own," the victim's mother left a heartwrenching tribute at the scene of the crash which read, "To my darling daughter. I will miss you forever. The pain I am feeling now cannot be expressed. My wonderful, bubbly, Fizzy - RIP Darling.xx."
It continued, "God take me instead, not my child. Not my beautiful, brave, courageous, hilarious, wonderful daughter whom I was blessed to call my own. I will love you until the day we will be together again. Mummy. xxx." Just four months prior to the shocking accident, the youngster had celebrated her seventh birthday with her parents, Laura and James, and elder sister at their home. Shortly after the accident that took place a few hundred yards from the girl's home before 6:30 p.m., police arrived at the scene and rushed her to a hospital in Salisbury. Unfortunately, Eloise passed away soon after she arrived, reports Daily Mail.
The street where the accident occurred was closed off for over eight hours as specialist road policing officers investigated the accident. Authorities have reportedly spoken to the lorry driver who caused the accident, but no arrests were made in connection to the child's death. That being said, cops urged people who may have witnessed the tragedy to come forward. "We would ask anyone who witnessed the collision, or anyone who may have dashcam footage which could assist our inquiries, to call Wiltshire Police's Collision Investigation Unit on 101," said a spokesman for Wiltshire Police. A post mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death is due.
As for the parents of the girl, they vacated the house as it was near the street where their seven-year-old died. "They could not bear to be in the house," revealed a neighbor. David Cross, a local resident in the area, recalled hearing a bang. "I was with my neighbor when I heard a bang. I went out onto the road and saw the police cars. Everyone was on the road," Cross shared. "I could see someone on the road trying to resuscitate her, it was just really heartbreaking." The 85-year-old great grandfather continued, "I have lived here for 45 years and the speed cars come down the hill, it is no wonder we have had an accident. We had an accident here 30 years ago where a man fell out of a van and he fell on the road and was killed. She was just a little child, bless her. As a grandfather and great-grandfather, it just makes you worry about your own kids."
The spot where the crash happened has a large dip in the A338 before it leads to the church at the heart of Collingbourne Ducis. There's also a quiet street that leads away from the crash site. Eloise was a student at Collingbourne School, where staff described her as "one of our little hedgehogs." The school left a tribute at the scene and it read, "Beautiful, kind and gentle Eloise. You will always be one of our little hedgehogs. With all our love, Collingbourne School." The girl's headteacher, Dan Crossman, said, "Eloise was a beautiful, kind and gentle little girl. We are all deeply saddened by her death and, as a school, we stand ready to support each other in what is the hardest of situations. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time and the whole school community sends them our sincerest sympathy and support."
Representative cover image source: Getty | Photo by Teresa Short
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