Mum, 20, sacrif ices herself to save baby from lorry
A NEW mother sacrificed her life to save her daughter by pushing her out of the way of a lorry. Lauren Heath shoved baby Millie’s pram to safety seconds before she was crushed under the wheels of a heavy goods vehicle.
Millie, whose first birthday is on Monday, suffered only minor injuries in the incident outside an Aldi supermarket in Reading. But tragically her 20-year-old mother was pronounced dead at the scene of Wednesday’s accident.
Yesterday Miss Heath’s parents paid tribute to their daughter’s selfless actions, saying: ‘Our daughter was such an amazing girl and the best mummy to Millie.
‘She was her world and we are proud that at the last time in her life, she saved her baby girl.’
Her friends also paid tribute to her on Facebook. One, Kayleigh Kilbane, wrote: ‘No words can describe the pain and emotion. I’ve lost one of my closest friends today … this feels so unreal.’
Miss Heath’s schoolfriend, Lisa Marie Bowden, added: ‘You’re a hero for saving your beautiful Millie. I’m sure others will look out for her growing up and make sure she knows what a great mother and person you were. RIP Angel.’
Sally O’Brien wrote underneath: ‘Millie will be looked after well and will remember you as an amazing mum. You will never be forgotten.’
And Natasha Turner described her as a ‘beautiful young lady’, before revealing: ‘Millie is just days away from her first birthday, which Lauren was so excited about. She had already started planning things for her special day weeks ago.’
In her final Facebook post this week, Miss Heath wrote: ‘Days until my cheeky girl’s birthday!! Where’s my baby going?’
In another poignant message posted only a few weeks ago, Miss Heath uploaded a picture of her daughter with the words: ‘My number one forever and always. Our bond is unbreakable! So proud to be her mummy!’
Miss Heath, who had her daughter’s name tattooed over her heart along with her birth date, had taken her little girl for a walk in a pink pram in the Berkshire town. Shoppers watched in horror as Miss Heath was struck by a lorry after she pushed Millie across the road.
One man, who asked not to be named, said the HGV had been travelling ‘at a normal speed’ when the collision occurred. He added: ‘I am still shaking like a leaf.
‘It was all over so quickly. The last thing I saw was the baby being pulled out of the pram.’ A rapid response vehicle and two ambulances attended the scene of the crash. Screens were erected around the HGV while firemen tried to remove the young woman’s body from under the wheels.
Onlookers had rushed to help the young mother but there was nothing they could do, and Miss Heath was pronounced dead at the scene, while her daughter was taken to hospital. A South Central Ambulance spokesman said: ‘The baby was conveyed to hospital having suffered head injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening.’
The road was shut for nearly four hours after the accident so the blue articulated lorry could be removed. The driver of the HGV was interviewed at the roadside.
Yesterday a fundraising campaign launched to raise money for Millie’s future had reached £3,000.
Detective Sergeant Ashley Hannibal from Thames Valley Police said: ‘We are investigating the fatal collision and appealing for any witnesses who saw the incident or the heavy goods vehicle travelling prior to the collision.
‘The family of the deceased are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers at this very difficult time.’
‘A hero for saving beautiful Millie’