Mum says ‘I wish it hit me’ after both her kids killed in crash on way home from school
Katherine and her baby brother Harry were crossing the road with their mother Sok Ram, 33, when they were struck by a car at an intersection in Cabramatta, Sydney
Katherine, five, and Harry, one, were killed when a car struck them on their way home from school(Image: GoFundMe)
A five-year-old girl and her baby brother have tragically died after being struck by a car while crossing the street on their journey home from school.
Katherine had been excitedly telling her mother about an award she’d earned for her dedication in the classroom just moments before she and her sibling Harry were fatally struck in Sydney’s south-west on Wednesday afternoon (June 17). She was due to collect the award on Friday (June 19).
The siblings were crossing the road alongside their mother Sok Ram, aged 33, when they were hit by a vehicle at a junction in Cabramatta.
Their mother and the youngsters’ father, Vundy Tha, spoke with Nine News at the crash site on Thursday morning (June 18), reports the Mirror.
“Everyone tried to save them … I love them more than my life,” a devastated Sok told journalists. “I think about when the car came … I wish it hit me, not my baby and daughter.”
Courageous witnesses rushed to the horrific scene, with multiple drivers managing to flip the vehicle that had struck the children. Others administered CPR in a frantic bid to preserve the young lives.
Emergency services treated them at the location before transporting them to hospital, but they subsequently succumbed to their injuries. Both youngsters passed away following Tuesday’s (June 16) devastating incident.
Their mum received treatment at the scene for minor wounds, while the driver, a 56-year-old man, escaped unharmed and was detained at the location. The motorist involved in the collision remains uncharged by authorities and was transported to hospital for compulsory testing following the incident.
Family friend Patrick Te recounted the heartbreaking final moments leading up to the devastating tragedy.
“As they were crossing the road together, heading back to the car, an oncoming vehicle suddenly struck both Katherine and the pram where Harry was sitting,” he said.
“A mother not only lost a child – she lost both of her children, her only two children. Please kiss and hold your kids tight. Cherish every moment, because time with them is never promised.”
NSW Police Acting Commander of Fairfield City Timothy Calman commended the heroic bystanders who rushed to assist in a desperate bid to save the two youngsters’ lives.
“The community involved here this afternoon was … I can only say it’s phenomenal,’ he said to reporters at the scene.
“We’ve had a number of motorists that actually stopped, and collectively have moved the vehicle onto its side, tipped the car over, in order to get one of the children from underneath the vehicle. Other bystanders have assisted with CPR to assist the children and the children’s mother.”
Officers are seeking to interview four of the eight men who provided assistance at the scene as they work to establish how the unimaginable tragedy unfolded outside a school on Tuesday afternoon. Residents claimed the junction where the children lost their lives was “an accident waiting to happen”, citing speeding cars and limited visibility as ongoing worries.
Local residents living close to the school have since declared that the busy crossroads where the youngsters perished was “an accident waiting to happen” because of restricted sight lines and drivers who use the road section “like a racetrack”.
A resident living just two doors from the collision scene told the Daily Mail he was appalled: “It’s horrible. It’s tragic.”
Police officers present echoed these sentiments, with Acting Commander Calman remarking: “It’s probably one of the most confronting scenes that police have come across involving young children.”
Family friend Patrick Te has established a GoFundMe to provide financial support for the family as they cope with their devastating loss. Within 17 hours, members of the public have united behind the bereaved family to collect over AUD$167,800 (£88,704) in assistance. You can donate to the family here.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
