This is the first photo of the tragic five-month-old baby who was killed in Lanzarote after a driver ‘under the influence of alcohol’ drove onto the pavement and mowed down two families.
Harper Ayton, pictured being cuddled by her mother, had been on holiday with her parents Alex Chadkirk, 28, and Timothy Ayton, 40, and grandparents Andrea and Derek Chadkirk, before the shocking incident on Monday evening.
Timothy is said to be in a critical condition at a local hospital where the rest of the family, believed to be from South Shields, are also being treated.
The driver, Olivia Brown, 23, was reportedly driving over the legal limit when her ‘out of control’ car mounted the pavement and crashed into the family.
She is currently under house arrest and faces up to 25 years in prison for causing the newborn baby’s death. The minimum sentence she faces is seven years.
Harper Louise Ayton, the five-month-old baby who died in a horror accident in Lanzarote on Monday
Mother Alex Chadkirk with her baby, Harper Louise. Alex was one of six injured in the crash
Grandparents Andrea and David Chadkirk were also injured in the accident
The family stayed in a rental villa close to a popular water park in the resort of Playa Blanca.
They were less than a quarter of a mile from the villa when they were hit by the ‘out of control’ car.
Eyewitnesses described hearing piercing screams and watching as the mother tried to revive her baby while others tended to the injured.
The group had just started their holiday and were reportedly returning from a nearby supermarket when they were hit.
Until her pregnancy, Alex worked for a specialist education recruitment agency called Vision of Education.
Staff at the Newcastle branch where she worked knew she had been involved in an accident.
One employee said, “I’m sorry, but we just can’t talk about that.”
A Swedish mother and daughter were also injured by the Ford Fiesta, which eyewitnesses said police were speeding and made no attempt to slow down before hitting the sidewalk.
The mother suffered three heart attacks while in hospital and remains in a critical condition after being flown to Gran Canaria for specialist treatment. Her daughter remains in Lanzarote in a hospital in Arrecife.
Speaking to MailOnline, a young English family revealed that there was panic on the streets of the idyllic holiday resort in the aftermath of the crash.
They said, ‘It was terrible. People who saw it stopped us from coming down because they didn’t want our daughter to see it.
‘What we saw was bad enough.
‘We heard a harrowing scream from one of the injured women and there was a man who had a very serious head wound, his entire skull had been severely cut open.
‘A couple in our hotel who saw it have already cut short their holiday, which is understandable.
‘They’ve seen too much. We keep thinking: it could have been us.
‘Everything we do on holiday, we just think: this is what they have to do.’
“It’s just terrible.”
Yesterday, Brown’s first court appearance had to be abandoned after she suffered a panic attack and was unable to provide any evidence.
A judge at the Arrecife court ruled that Olivia Brown was ‘not fit’ to make a statement and give her version of the accident in the resort of Playa Blanca.
Court sources said the 23-year-old was ‘distraught and unable to answer questions’
A court spokesperson said ex-pat Brown is charged with reckless homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
The hotel employee has been granted bail and must report to a police station on the 1st and 15th of every month.
Brown lives on the island with her parents and is believed to be working at a hotel in the resort of Playa Blanca where the accident occurred.
Her social media shows scenes of sunset on the island, posing in front of palm trees and with her mother.
It is believed that the Brown family has lived on the island for several years.
Days after the accident, floral tributes and teddy bears are still left at the scene.
A note attached to a bouquet read: “For a five-month-old angel.”
Another message read: ‘RIP girl. Love and prayers to your family.”
Alex Chadkirk (left) was injured in Monday’s crash. Her baby died tragically
Grandparents Andrea and David Chadkirk were among six injured in the crash
Olivia Brown faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty of manslaughter
23-year-old Olivia Brown appeared in court Thursday charged with driving under the influence
Shocking footage from the scene showed police and paramedics desperately treating the affected pedestrians in the aftermath of the crash
More than six bouquets and five teddy bears were left behind by people shocked by the newborn’s death.
There are still pieces of the car on the road at the scene.
The meeting point was on the wide road opposite a hotel and close to a water park.
There were no signs of skid marks from an attempt to brake and slow the car prior to impact.
The impact demolished a stone wall surrounding an apartment complex.
