Toddler run down and killed leaving nursery after pensioner mistakes accelerator for the brake

A toddler has died after being run over outside his nursery in front of his horrified parents when a pensioner mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.

The tragic two-year-old, who has not been named, was leaving nursery yesterday afternoon hand-in-hand with his heavily-pregnant mum when a Toyota Yaris mounted the pavement and struck them both.

The elderly driver had just smashed into a parked Vauxhall Astra near Abbey Wood Grange nursery in south London, before colliding with the helpless family.

Horrified onlookers ran to the child's aid and an air ambulance later took him to nearby Mayday hospital in Croydon around 5pm.

An eyewitness said: "It was unbelievable, the lad and his mum had just left the school gates when this maniac ploughed into them.

"He didn't seem to know what he was doing. School staff and neighbours tried to help but it was too late."

His mum, who is eight months pregnant, was unhurt in the accident but it left her son with fatal injuries.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said the child had been alive when he arrived at hospital.

School director Vince Lethbridge said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy's family after this tragic accident.

"Abbey Wood's staff, the parents of other children at the school are devastated by what has happened." A police source said today: "The Toyota Yaris, pulled off the main road into a driveway in an attempt to reverse into the road.

"He put his foot on the accelerator by mistake instead of the brake and collided with a parked car, a Vauxhall Astra."

"He then went forwards onto the pavement and collided with the boy and his mum."

A spokesman for the nursery added that the incident took place just after 4.30pm.

She added: "The child's parents were present at the time of the accident and had come to pick up their child."

The Met's Collision Investigation Unit in Catford, south London, is investigating the crash.

A police spokesman said the driver had been quizzed at the scene but was not arrested.

He said: "We were called to reports of a vehicle in collision with child."