Heartbreaking reason why a little girl, three, was standing behind a car as it began to roll, trapping and killing her in tragic accident at a child care centre
- A toddler has died after being hit by a car outside a Melbourne childcare centre
- The tragedy happened in Epping, when a reversing car hit a three-year-old girl
- The car also hit the girl’s mother, who was taken to hospital in a stable condition
- The mother had been strapping another child in the car when it began to move
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A three-year-old girl who was killed in a tragic car accident outside her daycare centre on Monday had been waiting for her mother to put her in the vehicle when it inexplicably rolled backwards and ran her over.
The girl was being picked up from Kiddy Palace Learning Centre in Epping, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, by her mother, 26, on Monday afternoon.
The mum had been tending to another child in the car when it rolled back, hitting both the mother and daughter.
Police said there were three children in the car as it began to move, all of whom were uninjured.
The mother was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, but the three-year-old girl died at the scene.
Neighbours of the childcare centre in Broadmeadows where a three-year-old girl was killed on Monday have described the screaming and chaos of the scene after the family car (pictured) unexpectedly rolled backwards
The toddler was killed after her family car rolled backwards, hitting her and her mother, who was hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries
Carrie Hartley, who lives next door to the childcare centre told the Herald Sun she heard a ‘weird’ noise, quickly followed by screaming, about 4.45pm on Monday.
‘We jumped up and had a look over and there were just people everywhere. It was just chaos,’ she said. ‘It’s very sad.’
Police are not yet sure why the car moved when it did, but Detective Sergeant Daryll Out described the situation as a ‘terrible accident’.
‘We certainly urge anybody who’s around children to be very careful and mindful that terrible accidents such as these can occur if everyone is not paying full attention to what they are doing,’ he said.
Friends and locals gathered at the childcare centre to leave notes, toys and flowers in memory of the youngster, including a toy rabbit holding a bouquet of flowers.
A stuffed rabbit holding a bouquet of fresh flowers was left in tribute of the toddler out the front of the daycare centre
Friends, family and locals gathered outside Kiddy Palace Learning Centre (pictured) to mourn the toddler on Tuesday morning
Amber Hartley-Schofield, 10, visited the centre with her mother on Tuesday morning, and left a toy as tribute.
‘Just the thought of someone dying but then not having anything to remember them by is just really sad,’ she said.
Aerial vision showed the childcare care centre taped off with police and emergency services at the scene on Monday afternoon.
McDonalds Road was briefly closed for the investigation but since reopened.
The mother was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition, and is helping police with their investigation.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.