Father, 33, knocks his toddler son off his feet after accidently kicking a football at his face 

This is the heart-stopping moment a toddler was sent flying into the air after his father booted a football at his face from just five metres away in a terrifying accident at home. 

Nick Ballinger, 33, feared he had ‘almost killed’ his two-year-old son Quade when he  was swept off his feet and landed flat on his back on their brick driveway in Southwick, Wiltshire. 

In a video of the incident, which was shared on TikTok, the boy can be seen lying motionless on the ground while his panicked father rushes to his aid and swiftly picks him up. 

His shocked and pregnant mother Lauren, 34, berates her partner for his dangerously misjudged shot, which he says he had hoped would go over his son’s head and to the back of the driveway. 

Nick Ballinger, 33, feared he had ‘almost killed’ his two-year-old son Quade (pictured together) when he was swept off his feet and landed flat on his back on their brick driveway in Southwick, Wiltshire

Speaking this week, Mr Ballinger admitted he ‘could have killed’ his son had he landed on his head, adding that the tot was simply ‘dazed’ before ‘returning to normal after 30 seconds’.  

He said he hoped the clip, recorded in June 2020, can serve as a warning to other parents looking to kick about with their children this summer, adding that ‘things can go wrong very quickly.’ 

He joked that his son, now four, prefers to play rugby as he was probably ‘put off football for life.’  

Mr Ballinger said: ‘As soon as I kicked it, I knew it was going to hit him. I thought ‘oh s**t’ and panicked.

‘When his feet left the floor, I feared the worst. I thought he was going to hit his head. It could have killed him if the worst happened. You try not to think about that.’ 

The father of four said he was not wearing any shoes, meaning he did not want to kick the floor and as a result ‘did not connect very well’ with the ball. 

He added: ‘From the video it looks like I was aiming for him, but I was trying to get it over him. In hindsight it’s probably not the best thing to have done.

Father takes aim before misjudging and sending the ball directly into his two-year-old’s face

In a video of the incident, which was shared on TikTok, the boy can be seen lying motionless on the ground while his panicked father rushes to his aid and swiftly picks him up.

‘He didn’t even see it coming. Luckily at the last minute he lifted his head up and landed on his back and shoulder blades, so he didn’t hit his head. He was lucky.

‘I hugged him straight away and 30 seconds later he was back to normal. I was just relieved. Lauren wasn’t very happy about it. She gave me a bit of a hard time after it.

‘I felt really guilty at the time, but when I knew everything was okay, we laughed about it and I downloaded it off the CCTV and proceeded to send it to everyone I know.’

He continued: ‘Quade prefers rugby now, so maybe this knocked football out of him. He’s probably been put off for life.

‘It’s a good warning for dads to be careful when they’re playing with their sons. Things like this can all go wrong very quickly. Maybe people need to get some American football hats!

Mother Lauren was brushing the floor just feet away from the incident and says she heard a ‘loud thud’ as the ball cannoned into Quade (pictured together)

Mr Ballinger joked that his son, now four, prefers to play rugby as he was probably ‘put off football for life’

‘I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not the best at football anyway so I stay away from it now.’

Mother Lauren was brushing the floor just feet away from the incident and says she heard a ‘loud thud’ as the ball cannoned into Quade.

She added: ‘I’m surprised I didn’t go straight over, but I was more in shock. I definitely told Nick off. You can see in the video I’m calmly having a go at him.’

The pair also live with Everly, seven, Aubree, six, Estee, one, who Lauren was pregnant with at the time the video was recorded. 

Mr Ballinger insists Quade will love watching the video back when he’s older but at the moment he’d rather play with oval shaped balls than round ones.