2-year-old boy who had just learnt to say mama and papa dies after he is hit by car outside church
The child, identified as Thang Khat Sun, was due to celebrate his third birthday on October 19
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: A horrific accident in Melbourne's east resulted in the tragic death of a two-year-old boy after he was struck by a car in a parking lot.
The boy, who has been identified as Thang Khat Sun, was due to celebrate his third birthday on October 19. The family, who belonged to the Burmese community, were attending a Burmese cultural festival — as the Khuado Pawi festival — at NewHope Baptist Church when tragedy struck.
Emergency services rushed to Springfield Road in Blackburn North, but despite the paramedics' frantic efforts, the child could not be revived. The driver of the car also pulled over to offer assistance, he is now helping the police with their investigation.
Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit have opened a probe into the incident. A police statement read, "The circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be established, and the investigation remains ongoing."
Mother devastated
Thang was remembered as a lovely child by family and community members.Thang's mother Cing Khaw Nuam, who spoke through a translator, said she had prayed for her son's arrival and was devastated by his death.
"I went out there [to the car park], I saw a big crowd and when I get there someone is holding my son and then next to him a car. I automatically realized that my boy has been hit."
She said, "He has been like a gift from God because when his sister, eldest sister, already turned six, we didn't have another child, and even our daughter prayed for a brother, and so we prayed and prayed and then finally God answered our prayer."
She said Thang loved Thomas the Tank Engine, slides and fairy lights. “He is also not a naughty boy and he also have some capacity to cope with everything – he is quiet, clever and even he can understand what his parents wants him to do. So he is so adorable,” Nuam said.
The boy had just learnt to say 'mama' and 'papa'
Thang Zuisang, who helped organise the event for the Zomi community, an ethnic group from north-western Myanmar, told The Sydney Morning Herald it was difficult for the family to digest what had happened. “Thang was just starting to talk and say words like ‘mama’ and ‘papa’,” Zuisang said.
“We were in the middle of the events program when it happened,” Zuisang said. “We tried to finish the event as soon as possible. There was no joy left.”
Another road accident in Victoria
Just a few days before this incident, two young brothers were playing in a laneway when they were hit and trapped by a car.
Brothers Burak and Huseyin Pek, ages three and eight, were playing soccer in a laneway behind their grandparents' house in Braybrook when a Toyota Prado, operated by an unlicensed driver, struck them, as reported by Daily Mail.
This incident happened just hours after a motorcycle and a Toyota Prado collided at a busy intersection in Templestowe on Saturday afternoon.
The rider of the motorcycle died on the scene of the crash. Police are receiving assistance from the Prado driver, a 51-year-old woman, in their investigations.
The public is urged to contact Crime Stoppers with any information or dashcam/CCTV footage related to either incident. There have been 213 fatalities on Victorian roads so far this year, up from 186 at this time last year.
