Read the powerful message from loved ones to a boy – not even a year old- who was killed when a car reversed over him as he played in the driveway: ‘Now it’s our turn’
- Baby boy fatally run over playing in driveway
- Ethan James Rayner was about to turn one
- His best friend left heartfelt note at house
The 11-month-old toddler tragically killed when he was run over while playing in his driveway has been identified as little Ethan James Rayner.
The baby boy, who was just weeks away from celebrating his first birthday, was found in a critical condition at a home in Deception Bay, north of Brisbane on Monday morning after he was tragically struck by the reversing car.
The infant is understood to have suffered serious head injuries in the collision, with a male relative reportedly behind the wheel.
His devastated parents Shandelle and Jayden Rayner are being comforted by friends and family as the community rallies around them with a fundraising appeal.
‘The pain they now have to live with is unimaginable and no parents should have to deal with what these two are dealing with,’ said organiser Tanechka Mcaleese.
‘Anyone that knows Jayden and Shandelle would know they’re the most selfless people and will go above and beyond for anyone that needs. Now it’s our turn.’
The 11-month-old toddler tragically killed when he was run over while playing in his driveway has been identified as little Ethan James Rayner (pictured)
A heartfelt note has been left at a home where a toddler was tragically ran over while playing in his driveway
Mourners are seen leaving flowers and candles at the home in Deception Bay, north of Brisbane
The toddler was described as having ‘the biggest smile’ in a heartbreaking note left by a friend in the wake of the tragedy.
‘Dear Ethan, I watch you cry, laugh and smile,’ his ‘best friend’ Alexus wrote in a letter left among the stuffed toys and flowers at the house.
‘I watch you crawl, stand and walk. But you also showed me how to be patient, kind and not to cry over spilt milk even if you did.
‘You gave me the biggest heart filled with love and joy. You will always be my little buddy. I will never forget you, the boy with the biggest smile.
‘Lots of love.’
Earlier on Tuesday mourners were seen delivering bouquets of flowers and candles.
The baby’s grandmother Carolyn Glenn said her son and the baby’s mother had traveled to the Redcliffe Hospital with paramedics.
‘I’m just numb,’ Ms Glenn told the Courier Mail.
‘You see this stuff happen to other families, I can’t believe it’s happened to us.’
The boy’s aunt said she still couldn’t believe she had lost her nephew.
Donna Lo Giudice had been walking by the house when tragedy struck.
Mourners have paid their respects to the baby boy
The boy had been playing in the driveway at the time of the tragic accident
‘The screaming I heard has just broken me,’ she said.
‘It was a really loud scream, which was hard to explain, then next minute there was silence then the police came a few minutes later.’
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
The Queensland Family and Child Commission’s annual report Deaths of Children and Young People Queensland 2021-22 revealed 17 people had died from ‘low speed vehicle run overs’ in the last five years.
Some 82 per cent of the deaths happened at the child’s home or the home of a person known to them.
The QFCC was part of serious discussions with the federal government and explored the possibility of mandating reversing detection systems.
‘Reversing aid technologies in vehicles such as cameras and proximity alerts have the potential to prevent run-overs,’ the report read.
‘The QFCC made a submission supporting the option which would mandate a new national road vehicle standard.
