Parenting influencer Kelly Hopton-Jones explained how she accidentally ran over her son with her car in an emotional social media update.
Hopton-Jones, a mother of two living in Texas, shared the update earlier this week (15 April), revealing that a typical day for the family had turned into a terrifying accident for their younger child, Henry.
"It started like any normal day," Hopton-Jones, who is best known for her blog, Hillside Farmhouse, wrote on Instagram.
The 36-year-old went on to explain that she was preparing to get doughnuts with their daughter Lily, while her husband, Brian, stayed at home with 23-month-old Henry.
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"Brian was staying home with Henry and was going to meet us there," she continued. "He helped Lily into the car and was waving goodbye between our car and Henry, who was in the garage."
It was here that the tragedy occurred, as Henry had ended up in the car's path and was run over.
"In a matter of seconds, our son was run over by our car. I was driving," she added.
The couple immediately rushed their son to the hospital while neighbours looked after Lily, with the youngster sustaining a pelvic fracture from the incident.
Henry is now recovering in hospital, with Kelly revealing that he wasn't severely injured in the incident.
"X-rays of his legs, chest, and neck are all normal. The CT scan shows no injury to his organs or spinal cord. The neurological exam has been reassuring with no signs of head injury or impairment," she said.
"What stays with me is the doctor saying: ‘He is hurt, but this is something he can recover from.’ A true miracle."
The influencer, who has 65,000 followers on the platform, went on to add that her family is still in shock from the incident, but added that she is 'incredibly grateful' that Henry wasn't more seriously hurt.
"We keep replaying it, trying to understand how this could have happened when we were right there. I don't have that answer. But I do know this has changed us," she told her followers, adding that it would now be a 'non-negotiable' that her children are holding an adult family member's hand around a moving vehicle.
"Do not assume they know or will stay where you last saw them," she added.
Kelly's ordeal isn't unique, with statistics shared by Kids and Car Safety revealing that 50 children are accidentally run over every week in the USA, with 70 percent of these incidents seeing a close family member involved, per NBC News.
Meanwhile, a recent inquest revealed that a two-year-old British boy died from head injuries from being hit by the car of a family friend, after he rushed over excited to see her.
According to MailOnline, Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Court heard last month that toddler Rufus Davies had run 'unwittingly into the path' of a car belonging to his mother's friend as she was reversing and was not visible through the rear window.
Topics: Social Media
Brenna Cooper