The family of a schoolgirl fighting for her life after falling under the wheels of a truck has met the distraught driver and told him not to "beat himself up".
Jacqueline Wyatt, 12, was left with a smashed pelvis and serious internal injuries after an accident while cycling to school
through roadworks on Main St, Blenheim, about 8.20am yesterday.
She was flown from Blenheim to Auckland's Starship hospital and things were touch and go, her mother Paulette Wyatt told the Herald.
"She's a bit of a mess, but she's a fighter."
This morning Jacqueline remained in a critical but stable condition.
Acting Sergeant Jason Spence of Blenheim said Jacqueline appeared to have lost control of her bike and went under the back tyres of the truck's trailer unit.
The driver, Tex Simmons, was not aware she had gone under his wheels until he was flagged down by witnesses.
"It was just a terrible accident," Mrs Wyatt said. "She clipped a [road] cone and lost control of her bike and went straight under the back of the truck. Nobody's fault - just one of those accidents that happen. The truck driver's been up and seen us, and he's feeling very, very upset.
"We have basically told him that it was not his fault and he's not to beat himself up over it."
Mr Simmons said he had been forced to turn right to avoid roadworks when Jacqueline, out of sight on his left, was caught under his wheels.
"I travelled another 150m to 200m up the road when a bloke stopped me and said 'you've just run over a little girl up the road'.
"It was very sickening. I helped put her on the stretcher and put her in the ambulance. You don't like seeing that happen to anybody."
Hannah MacDonald, 12, was cycling next to Jacqueline when the accident happened and was "obviously very shaken up", said the girls' principal at Riverlands School, Dave Parsons.
Two other pupils who were cycling about 25m to 50m behind came across the accident and were also traumatised by what they saw.
Mr Parsons said everyone at the school was a bit shell-shocked.
Mrs Wyatt and her mother travelled with Jacqueline to Starship hospital by air ambulance, after getting together what money they could in anticipation of a long stay in Auckland.
*Anyone wanting to donate money to the Wyatt family can do so by making a deposit to the ASB Bank account 12 3167 0162160 56, under the name JDM Wyatt.
