TRIBUTES have been paid to the mother who died after being hit by a HGV as she rushed to save her daughter’s life.
Flowers have been left at the scene on Western Road in Stratford where a woman was killed on Friday May 20 at around 8.45am.
The unnamed woman was thought to be walking her two daughters to school when she was hit by the 7.5-tonne truck.
The woman managed to push her daughter out of the way but was killed when she was dragged under the wheels of the vehicle.
It is not known whether one of the girls ran into the road or fell from a scooter she was reportedly riding.
The seriously injured girl was airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she was treated for pelvic injuries and is reported as being in a stable condition. The other girl was unhurt but was treated by paramedics for shock.
One of the notes left at the scene reads ‘To Rachael, a fantastic and devoted mummy, you’ve done your girls proud. RIP.’
A witness to the crash said: “The scooter was mangled up. I heard one of the emergency crews say it looked as though the girl had somehow lost control of the scooter and ended up on the road.
“The mum must have seen what happened and rushed to push the little girl out of the way of the lorry but in doing so was hit. She made the ultimate sacrifice.”
A worker from the nearby Audi car dealership, who witnessed the crash, said he heard one of the girls ran into the road. He said: “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.”
The West Midlands Ambulance Service and Midlands Air Ambulance were called to the scene but the woman was pronounced dead.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “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 hospital with a doctor on board.
“A second girl was assessed by paramedics but was uninjured and didn’t require hospital treatment.
“The lorry driver, a man, was checked over but was also uninjured.”
Ambulance staff praised bystanders and staff from a nearby car dealership for their help and assistance.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Warwickshire Police on 101.
