A mother posted a heart-wrenching tribute after she accidentally ran over her 13-month-old child while maneuvering her car out of a tight parking space in Arizona.
Jafria Thornburg posted on a GoFundMe page for her daughter, Cyra Rose Thoemig, saying her daughter was the “absolute light of my life.” She continued, “The name Cyra meaning light in several languages, one translating to the light off of God’s throne. I know she is with him now.”
“She waved at everyone and made sure they saw her smile and she brought light to their day,” the devastated mother wrote. “She was only 13 and a half months and already walking, eating on her own, talking, singing, dancing, dressing herself, bathing herself, washing her hands, and more.”
“A piece of me is gone forever and nothing will ever be the same. I cannot say thank you enough for all of your love and support through this tragedy. We never expected to have to deal with anything like this in our lives,” Ms Thornburg wrote.
The toddler’s uncle, TJ Warren, organised the fundraiser. He spoke warmly about his niece. “There isn’t anyone who didn’t smile their biggest after spending just a moment with her.” Mr Warren explained that donations will go to “the parents for final expenses, and will ease some of their burdens in this terribly trying time.”
On 6 July, Yavapai County officials responded to the scene after receiving a “tragic 911” call from a woman saying “she had run over her 13-month-old baby with her car.” The car was parked on gravel next to Ms Thornburg’s house in Cottonwood, Arizona.
According to the media release, Ms Thornburg “had positioned the child, within the car seat, in an area she felt was safe. While repositioning the vehicle, the front tire caught the canopy of the car seat, causing it to fall backward which led to the infant suffering critical injuries.”
Despite medical professionals performing “life saving measures” and “heroic efforts,” the child was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.