An inquest heard that a Hermes delivery driver ran over a three-year-old child while reversing and did not see her because she was in his blind zone.
On March 3, 2021, Milliee-Ann Rae McKellar was playing outside her grandmother’s home in Calne, Wiltshire when she was struck by a Mercedes Sprinter van and killed.
In order to deliver packages, the driver stopped in the cul-de-sac with two wheels on the pavement. After checking his mirrors and the rear camera, he started backing up.
But Milliee wasn’t visible and ended up going under the front and rear nearside wheels, suffering catastrophic injuries from which she died soon after.
Swindon Coroner’s Court heard the three-year-old sustained a significant base skull fracture with compounds on the left and right sides.
She also suffered with brain swelling, subarachnoid and subdural haemorrhage and multiple pelvic fractures.
Milliee’s mum Tanzin Wells said her daughter would play out on the street with other children and would stop and look when crossing a road.
The mum said she was keeping an eye on her daughter through gaps in the picket fence while round at a neighbour’s house.
She told police Milliee was standing on the pavement the moment she was hit.
But police sergeant Jonathan Brooks, an officer assigned to the forensic collision investigation unit, said in his opinion she would have been standing in the carriageway at the time of impact.
PS Brooks said he ‘applied consideration’ but said the mum’s view ‘would have made it difficult, in my opinion, to place her with any accuracy’.
He confirmed Milliee would have been in the driver’s blind spot – and would not have been seen on checking his mirrors and the van’s rear view camera.
PS Brooks said the child’s stature and weight of 16 kilos in comparison to the size and power of the van, meant it was ‘unlikely he was able to appreciate what was occurring’.
He added: ‘It is my view that he wouldn’t have realised what was occurring until Milliee and the scooter [that she was holding] came into view.’
Moments before the incident Steven Hargreaves a neighbour had arrived.
He said Milliee tried to move away when the van started but ‘didn’t stand a chance’.
Coroner Ian Singleton recorded Milliee’s cause of death as a road traffic accident.
He thanked her family for attending the inquest and passed on his condolences to them.
Wiltshire Police previously confirmed in a statement the driver would not be prosecuted over the incident.
A spokesperson confirmed: ‘An investigation into the circumstances of a collision in Calne in which a three-year-old girl sadly died has now concluded.
‘A thorough investigation led by specialist officers has been conducted and a file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service who concluded that no further action will be taken against the driver of the van involved.
‘The parents of the young girl have been informed and our thoughts remain with them at this time.’