Toddler, 2, dies in horror accident after family friend reversed in driveway | UK | News
Rufus Davies suffered fatal head injury (Image: justgiving.com)
The inquest heard a two-year-old boy was killed by a family friend who backed into the driveway. Rufus Davies suffered the fatal head injury near Marlborough, Wiltshire, in May last year. The toddler was visiting friends with family at the time of the collision, Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court was told. The court heard Rufus allowed his mother Olivia Davies to let him out of the car as Tamsin Hayward approached the driveway.
“I told Rufus that Tamsin had arrived and he was so excited to see her that he squirmed to get out of the car,” Ms Davies said in a written statement. “I opened the driver’s door and helped her out. She ran towards the back of the car. I thought she would park the nose of Tamsin’s car directly next to mine until her feet touched the ground and she ran into the back of my car. Turns out she wanted to put her car in reverse.”
“I reached from the passenger side to grab my phone, water bottle and sweater, and as I was exiting the driver’s door I heard my daughter say to me, ‘Mom, Tamsin’s car hit Rufus.’
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The incident was told at Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court (Image: Google)
“I then ran to the back of my car and saw Rufus lying on the ground.”
Ms. Hayward said she reversed her Porsche Macan into the driveway as she usually did.
“I always drive very slowly, through the door and onto the road,” he said. “Olivia and her daughter were standing on the grass in the driver’s side of their car. I was really happy to see them, I waved to them and said ‘hello’ as I got in and rolled down my driver’s window.”
“I knew Rufus was coming that day, too, but when I drove in, he wasn’t anywhere to be seen on the driver’s side or in the driveway with Olivia and her daughter. I pulled into the driveway and pulled into the driveway, moving counterclockwise around the circular grassy island in my driveway.
“Aside from Olivia and her daughter, the driveway was open and there was no one else to be seen. I drove about 180 degrees around the island, stopped, and then drove back to my usual parking spot.”
Ms Hayward added that she examined her side mirrors and rearview mirror and maneuvered carefully before reversing.
“About halfway into the parking lot, as I looked between the right side mirror and the rearview mirror, I felt the car run over something in the driveway,” he said.
“The impact I felt was from the passenger in the back of the car. I got out of the car and saw a child lying on the gravel. I realized with horror the seriousness of the situation and that Rufus might have been running after me as I was backing up.”
“I then saw Olivia running towards the back of the car with a terrified look on her face. I immediately called 999.”
Collision investigator PC Alexander Way said there was no fault with the car and Ms Hayward tested negative for both drugs and alcohol.
He said: “This case does not meet the Crown Prosecution Service’s threshold for any prosecution under the Road Traffic Act because the location is not considered a public place or road and driving is not considered reckless under current case law. This is an extremely tragic incident with extremely devastating consequences.”
An autopsy determined that Rufus died of widespread traumatic head trauma.
Wiltshire and Swindon district coroner Ian Singleton recorded the outcome of the misadventure.
“Rufus was so excited to see Tamsin that he wanted to get out of the car, so he was helped up and unknowingly ran from behind his mother’s car into the path of Tamsin’s car,” she said.
