800 at funeral for girl killed by truck

MORE than 800 mourners have attended the funeral of a four-year-old girl who died after being struck by a 32-tonne tipper truck.

Mitzi Rosanna Steady and three men were killed by the Scania truck on Lansdown Lane in Upper Weston, Bath, just after 4pm on February 9.

The red truck carrying sand and gravel first hit Mitzi, from Bath, and her grandmother, who suffered serious injuries.

It overturned on a Volvo at the bottom of the hill, killing Robert Parker, 59, from Cwmbran, Philip Allen, 52, and taxi driver Stephen Vaughan, 34, both from Swansea. Mitzi’s funeral took place at Bath Abbey, where hundreds of mourners wept as her wooden coffin, painted in the style of Disney’s Frozen, was brought in.

White flowers spelling the little girl’s name accompanied the coffin, which featured a painted picture of a blonde Disney princess on the side.

The popular song Do You Want to Build a Snowman? from the film was then sung by the abbey’s choir for children aged from six to 11.

Emmajade Steady, the mother of Mitzi, read a letter to her daughter to the congregation, which began “Dear Mitzi. How can it be that there will be no more memories? You were just becoming a young girl. So smart, so open and free.

“I want to come home to you throwing yourself at me again. I want to give you your special milk on your cereal and ask ‘what shall we do today?’ You were such a confident child, so sure in the love that surrounded you. You had the most beautiful wonderful everything.”

After the incident, driver Philip Potter, 19, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and manslaughter by gross negligence.

A 28-year-old man, believed to be Mr Potter’s boss, was also arrested on suspicion of causing manslaughter by gross negligence on Tuesday morning. Both have been released on police bail.