Woman crushed to death by lorry 'trying to save daughter's life'

A woman was killed under the wheels of a lorry and the young girl suffered pelvic injuries 

Rebecca Flood
Saturday 21 May 2016 10:17 BST
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Western Road, where the accident happened
Western Road, where the accident happened

Members of the public who helped a woman crushed by a lorry while trying to save a little girl have been praised by emergency services.

Tragic scenes unfolded in Stratford-Upon-Avon during the morning rush hour on Friday, after a woman was killed by a HGV.

The car transporter is thought to have been reversing around a corner, on Western Road, when it hit the pedestrian.

Witnesses claim the little girl lost control of her scooter, and the woman, thought to be her mother, rushed to push her out of harm’s way.

She died trying to save the girl, who received serious pelvic injuries.

Witnesses claim the woman dragged under the wheels of the 7.5-tonne vehicle, and despite the best efforts of paramedics, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The youngster was airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with pelvic injuries, where she is said to be in a stable condition.

A second girl, thought to be the woman’s other daughter, was assessed at the scene for shock but was uninjured.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service, which was called at 8.45am, said: “Sadly, nothing could be done to save a woman who had been involved in a collision with the vehicle and she was confirmed dead on scene.

“A young girl had also been involved in the collision and upon further assessment by ambulance staff and medics they found she had sustained multiple serious injuries.

“The little girl was given trauma care in the ambulance to help stabilise her condition before she was airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with a doctor on board.

“A second girl was assessed by paramedics but was uninjured and didn’t require hospital treatment.”

The male lorry driver was also uninjured.

It transpired that staff at a local Audi dealership rushed to help the woman after the horrific accident happened outside their premises.

A witness to the crash, from the dealership, told the Stratford Observer: "We have been told that one of the girls ran into the road and her mum threw herself in front of the oncoming lorry.

"It looks like the mum sacrificed herself for her little girl.

“Police have told us that one of the girls has been taken to hospital and the other child is being looked after in a nearby garage.

“There are dozens of police and paramedics here. It’s an absolute horrible tragedy.”

Their heroism was not unnoticed, with the ambulance spokesman adding: “Ambulance staff would like to praise the bystanders and, in particular, the staff from a nearby car dealership for their help and assistance at the scene.”

Warwick Police are appealing for anyone with information to get in touch on 101.

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