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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Debbie Luxon & Laura Sharman

Hero mum killed when she pushed daughter's pram out of the way of oncoming lorry

A heroic mum was killed saving her baby's life when she pushed her pram out of the way of a lorry.

NHS healthcare assistant Rebecca Ableman, 30, was walking to the shops with her two-year-old daughter Autumn when she was tragically hit by the lorry carrying a crane.

She had planned to marry her partner Chris Tuczemskyi, Autumn's dad, who told of his heartbreak following the tragedy.

The 34-year-old said: "An eyewitness saw that just as the lorry hit Becky. She pushed Autumn out of the way in the pram.

"Otherwise the pram would have been swept up with the lorry.

"They then tended to Becky and made sure Autumn couldn't see what was happening.

Rebecca with her partner Chris and their daughter Autumn (Chris Tuczemskyi/ SWNS)

"The eyewitness's partner then came out and took Autumn to the other side of the road and made sure she was happy and playing."

A 67-year-old man has been arrested and released on bail for causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

Becky was pushing her daughter in a pram heading towards a local farm shop when the lorry hit her in their village of Willingham, Cambs, in September.

Chris said: "We planned to get married but life got in the way. It's tough, especially with Autumn. They were so close.

"Because she's only two she is finding it hard to understand what's happened. She still cries for her mummy, especially at night.

"Having to deal with everything, grieve and look after her at the same time and make sure she has everything she needs is extremely difficult.

Rebecca saved her daughter from being swept up by the lorry (Chris Tuczemskyi/ SWNS)

"I know a lot of people would feel angry [with the driver] but I've got my daughter to focus on."

The first Chris heard of the incident was when he got a notification from his digital doorbell showing the police standing on his doorstep.

Chris, who works in marketing, was out of the country at a conference when the incident happened.

After not being able to contact Rebecca, he asked her father to go and check on her.

The police finally got hold of her father and redirected him to the hospital where she'd been taken via air ambulance.

Thanks to Rebecca, their only daughter Autumn came away from the incident uninjured.

She was taken to hospital and died from her injuries (Chris Tuczemskyi/ SWNS)

Rebecca died three weeks later on October 16 of traumatic brain injury in the Neuro ICU of Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambs.

The last exchange Chris and Rebecca had together were texts about whether they should get fish and chips for dinner.

Chris is now raising funds to donate to the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Neuro ICU, the staff of which had become "like family" in the three weeks the family spent there.

He has already reached almost £4,000 over his £10,000 goal on the GoFundMe page for his wife.

"What happened shows how cruel and horrid life can be," he said.

"Then when you get strangers, friends and colleagues donating, especially at a time when everyone is trying to save, it means a lot.

Chris is now raising funds for East Anglian Air Ambulance (Chris Tuczemskyi/ SWNS)

"The Neuro ICU staff were like family, some came to the funeral.

"When we cried, they cried. They did everything possible to bring Becky back to us."

Chris now intends to keep going to raise as much money as possible and will also be creating a memorial bench in memory of Becky in Willingham Community Orchard.

He said they have never been a family that would ask for money but aims to raise more for a trust fund for Autumn.

On the fundraiser, Chris wrote: "This will be for Autumn for when she's 18.

"She will be encouraged to use it to follow in her mummy's footsteps of travelling around the world, amongst other amazing things.

"No amount of money could replace the hole Becky's passing will leave in our beautiful daughter's life, but I hope it can in some way help her feel closer to her mummy."

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