Little Lilly McElligott was at Ebelsberg train station in Linz, Austria this month when a passing high-speed train pulled her buggy onto the tracks, instantly killing her.
Grieving dad Mark has opened up on the tragic incident this week, explaining how his daughter’s accident was the result of ‘a load of chance incidents’.
Mark explained how his wife resorted to getting the train with their daughter, as she was apprehensive about driving his new automatic car. The tragic incident occurred when she went to purchase a train ticket.
“She only had a €20 note and she had tried to put it in the machine but they had no change…She found €2 in the pocket of her purse and she made the decision to leave Lilly for a few seconds to get a ticket, and ran back down the stairs to get it,” Mark explained.
While the brakes were on the buggy, the train’s speed sucked it into the side of the vehicle, killing Lilly instantly.
Mark, a landscape gardener, and his wife went on to set up a website to raise funds for the family.
“I’ve had to make arrangements for the funeral but I’m self-employed and only really had €500 to my name. As horrible as it sounds, I had to decide to pick the cheapest funeral,” he said.
An investigation into the incident has been carried out by OBB-Austrian Railways.
