A young boy in Italy has died after he tried to fetch a ball - while his dad was parking outside.
After he was knocked down outside the family home, 19-month-old Matteo Vidali was rushed to hospital. Tragically, the little toddler died two days later, on Tuesday April 16.
Horrifically, he was in his dad Olaf's blind spot when he ran out to grab his ball, in Venice, Italy. His six-year-old sister watched in horror as Matteo ran into the car’s path.
Olaf and his wife, Laura, rushed their son to A&E in nearby Treviso with severe head trauma. He was resuscitated for 45 minutes by nurses before his heart started beating again .
He was admitted to the ICU, where he spent two days in critical condition before passing away. The toddler’s devastated granddad Gabriele Vitali told local media: “My nephew was a little blond angel, now he’s flown to heaven.”
Matteo’s sister is already receiving counselling after witnessing the heart-breaking incident. Her shaken mum said: “We told her that Matteo became an angel and won’t come back home. We're shattered, our pain is immense.”
Sadly, it’s not the first tragedy the family has experienced. Olaf and Laura lost their first daughter, who died prematurely, and Laura’s father also passed away recently. The family now awaits authorisation from the Prosecutor’s Office to hold Matteo’s funeral.
This isn't the first time an incident like this has occured. In Australia, a dad was left heartbroken after accidentally running over his one-year-old daughter while leaving for the supermarket in his SUV.
Little Rishwika died in Sydney after her dad Joseph Reddy Salibindla, 41, got into his car to go to the supermarket. He accidentally backed into her as he was unaware the girl had followed him out of their home and was standing behind the vehicle.
Following the tragedy, the girl's family told 9News they were "completely heartbroken" and that her mum is "inconsolable". They added: "It's every family's worst nightmare, but they come from a big church community and are supporting each other."