“I Wish It Had Hit Me Instead”: Devastated Sydney Mum’s Heart-Wrenching Words After Car Slams Into Pram, Killing Her Two Little Angels
A close-knit community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of a kindergarten student and her baby brother, who were killed after an SUV struck a pram shortly after school pick-up.
The children have been identified as five-year-old Katherine and 14-month-old Harry, the only two children of their 33-year-old mother, Sok Ram.
The siblings were hit while crossing a street with their mother in Cabramatta, in Sydney’s south-west, at around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Ram and the children’s father, Vundy Tha, spoke to Nine News at the crash scene on Thursday morning.
“Everyone tried to save them… I love them more than my life,” Ram said through tears. “I keep thinking about when the car came… I wish it had hit me instead of my baby and my daughter.”
Tha described his children as “beautiful kids” who were “very smart.” He said the family forgives the driver and urged motorists to drive carefully.
“We can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see my kids,” Ram said. She explained that she usually slept between her two children.
“My heart is broken. It feels empty now. Everything is gone… I want my children to come back… I still can’t believe it.”
Police said several witnesses attempted to rescue the children but were unable to save them.
Paramedics treated the children at the scene before they were transported to hospital in critical condition. Both died a short time later. Their mother suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
According to an online fundraiser established for the family, Katherine had just completed her first year of kindergarten and had been picked up after receiving an award.
Patrick Te, who organized the fundraiser, said the children’s lives were taken in a “split second.”
“As they were crossing the road together and heading back to their car, an oncoming vehicle suddenly struck Katherine and the pram Harry was sitting in,” he said.
“A mother did not just lose one child — she lost both of her children, her only two children.”
By Thursday afternoon, the family’s GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $115,000 in donations.
The 56-year-old driver of the SUV was uninjured and was taken to hospital for mandatory testing.
New South Wales Police’s crash investigation unit is continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the tragedy as devastating and said the entire community was heartbroken by the loss of two young lives.
“This is one of those tragedies that impacts a community in an incredibly profound way,” he said.
Acting Superintendent Timothy Calman praised the actions of community members who rushed to help.
“The community involved here this afternoon was phenomenal,” he said.
“We had a number of motorists stop their vehicles and work together to tip the SUV onto its side in an effort to free one of the children trapped underneath. Other bystanders also assisted with CPR.”
Minns said he was not surprised to hear that Good Samaritans had made such heroic efforts to save the children.
A small memorial has since been established at the site of the tragedy, with tributes including candles, stuffed toys, and two mandarins placed along the roadside.
