Girl hit by train walking tall in wake of tragedy

The three-year-old was left with serious injuries, but survived the impact which killed her father Richard, 28, who had walked onto the track carrying his little girl in his arms.

Yesterday, her mother Samantha Roberts, spoke of her pride for her “brave little angel” and said that she was desperate for her daughter to know that her father had “loved her very much”.

Doctors have told Ms Roberts, 25, of Scawthorpe, Doncaster, that Scarlett is well on the road to recovery, but will require further operations to help her recover from multiple injuries.

“I know what happened and what he did but I know that Richard loved me and he loved Scarlett very much,” she said. “It might seem strange to say but he wouldn’t wish her any harm at all.

“We had separated some time before and I just think he was very down and he was in a very bad place for this to happen.”

An inquest into the death of Mr Straw has still to be concluded following the incident close to Adwick-le-Street station, near Doncaster, in July, when the furniture salesman climbed over a trackside fence and walked into the path of a 100mph train from London King’s Cross to Leeds.

Scarlett was airlifted from the scene by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in a critical condition and taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery.

Now she has started attending her local nursery, walking with a metal frame supporting her shattered left leg. She also suffered a broken arm, a gash to her head and parts of her skin were torn off in the impact.

Ms Roberts added: “To think of the speed of the train and how lucky Scarlett has been and how well she has recovered is incredible.

“When I was told about the accident I was rushed to the hospital but I couldn’t see Scarlett until the next day. She was in surgery for 13 hours.

“She had a badly broken leg and arm and she had skin grafts. She is small and petite but unbelievably she didn’t have internal injuries and she didn’t suffer brain damage.

“When I saw her for the first time her beautiful face was unmarked and she looked just like a little angel sleeping.

“A couple of days later when she regained consciousness and said ‘mummy’ I knew everything was all right.

“I stayed at the hospital for 45 days and only came home once so she knew I was always close by which I’m sure helped her recovery. She’s now back to her cheerful self with her lovely smile and she has made a brilliant recovery.

“She is so little but she is brave and stubborn. I have kept a diary and photographs as she has recovered and she sometimes asks to see pictures of ‘poorly Scarlett’ so she can see how far she has come.”

Ms Roberts has now become an ambassador for charity the Sick Children’s Trust, which provided her with somewhere to stay close to her daughter’s hospital bed.

She said: “I don’t know what I would have done without that. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders knowing that I could stay so close to Scarlett and have access to a warm, comfortable ‘home from home’ environment.”