A family in Texas is mourning the death of their two-year-old daughter who was run over by a car, according to multiple reports.
According to her obituary, the incident happened on Sept. 28, when the two-year-old Allie Estelle White was out with her family at the park.
CBS Austin reported that the family had gone to the park to spend time together. The two-year-old’s older brother had already gone off into the soccer field, and the little one was eager to catch up with him. Her father, Chris White, had helped her out of the car and started putting sunscreen on her. However, after taking his eyes off her for a time, the two-year-old had taken off in the direction of one of her brothers.
“As she was running, I saw the car coming really quickly from the main road that didn’t slow down, and I started screaming and ran after her. And within a matter of two seconds, my poor baby was kind of knocked over with the front fender. And I was screaming and telling them to stop. I was reaching to grab her, [and then] the back of the vehicle went right over her,” Chris said.
The incident happened at the 2068 Harrell Parkway. Police were contacted around 1:30 p.m. local time on Sept. 28, according to the local news outlet.
A firefighter and off duty police officer helped out at the scene while waiting for emergency services. When the authorities arrived a little before 2 p.m., the two-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Chris said the moment was very hard on both him and his wife, according to CBS. Both Chris and his wife, Jamie called Allie Estelle White their “little gift from God.” Chris told CBS Allie was “tiny but she was so strong and so beautiful.”
A devastated Jamie expressed her awe at the amount of support that the people in the park gave to her daughter, according to CBS Austin.
“I didn’t know what to do other than just fall into my knees praying,” Jamie White said, according to the news outlet. She also said that the people who weren’t on the ground helping with her daughter were praying for her daughter.
According to the news outlet, the woman who ran the two-year-old over had been allegedly on her phone and was driving too fast in the recreational area.
The woman came out of her car completely unaware of what she had done. Chris told CBS Austin the woman thought she had only run over a soccer ball.
According to Round Rock Police, the woman has not been charged with any crime.
The White family told CBS Austin they hope their tragedy will serve as an example to others and urge people to drive cautiously in areas where there are children about.
“Maybe we could save other babies from having to go through this, and other parents from having to feel this heartache,” Jamie said.
CBS reported that Chris wants the city to build safeguards and introduce ways to ensure that drivers are more cautious and reduce their speed in areas where children are about.
“If there had been a speed bump anywhere in the parking lot coming off the main road, they would’ve had to have hit the speed bump and they would’ve damaged their car and not hit my baby,” Chris said.
“I want to talk to the city and try to find out how we can do something, at least to prevent this tragedy from happening to other children.”
