Devastated father pays tribute to his ‘joyful’ five-month-old son who was killed when a van mounted pavement and crashed into his pram as his mother, 36, fights for life
- Rachael Thorold was pushing her five-month-old son in his pram along pavement
- The 36-year-old had been walking alongside the A10 in Waterbeach last Friday
- A Mazda collided with a Renault van, which hit Ms Thorold and her son’s pram
- Her son Louis died and Ms Thorold remains in a critical but stable condition
A father has released a heartwrenching tribute to his five-month-old son who was killed after a van mounted the pavement and crashed into his pram, leaving his mother fighting for her life.
Rachael Thorold, 36, was pushing her five-month-old son Louis in his pram along a pavement beside the A10 in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire on Friday, January 22.
Police today released a photo of Ms Thorold holding her smiling son, taken just hours before the collision.
A grey Mazda 2 collided with a white Renault Master van, and the van hit Ms Thorold and her son’s pram, according to Cambridgeshire Police.
Louis died and Ms Thorold was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where she remains in a critical but stable condition, police said today.
In a heartwrenching statement today, Louis’s father Chris Thorold, who is the finance director of Marshall Aerospace, said in a statement: ‘Louis you were only with us for a short time, but you made us the happiest people in the world. I cannot describe how heartbroken we are that you are gone.
‘You are such a happy little boy and your joyful smile and laughter will never leave us.
‘Your ma-ma is fighting to stay with us and we are praying that she will make it through. You will always be in our hearts and do not worry, I am taking care of all your animals.’
Ms Thorold is currently on maternity leave from her role as a planning policy manager for Elmbridge Borough Council, which has its main offices in Esher, Surrey.
Rachael Thorold, 36, was pushing her five-month-old son Louis in his pram along a pavement beside the A10 in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire when they were hit by a van. This photo of Ms Thorold holding her smiling son was taken just hours before the collision
A grey Mazda 2 was in collision with a white Renault Master van, and the van hit Ms Thorold and her son’s pram
The driver of the van and the driver of the Mazda suffered slight injuries and remained at the scene after the tragedy at 3.50pm last Friday.
Today it emerged that Rachael, a former local plan manager for a local authority, is married to husband Chris Thorold – finance director for Marshall Aerospace, based in Cambridge.
The pair married in 2015 and gave birth to little baby Louis last year.
Mr Thorold said in a statement released through police: ‘We will love you always our little Louis.
‘You were only with us for a short time, but you made us the happiest people in the world. I cannot describe how heartbroken we are that you are gone.
‘You are such a happy little boy and your joyful smile and laughter will never leave us.
‘Your ma-ma is fighting to stay with us and we are praying that she will make it through.
‘You will always be in our hearts and do not worry, I am taking care of all your animals.
‘We love you so much and we know you will now be safe with granny, grandad and great grandpa in heaven. Take care my little Lou, sweet dreams.’
Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone who may have dashcam footage of the collision or the moments leading up to it.
Detective Sergeant Mark Dollard, from the road policing unit, said: ‘This is an extremely tragic and sad incident and our deepest condolences go out to the family of Louis, who are being supported by a specially-trained officer.
‘A thorough investigation will now be conducted by my team and I am seeking help from the public.
‘While it is too early to say how the collision happened, I want to remind all road users of their responsibilities to drive with care.’
Anyone with information should call 101 or visit www.cambs.police.uk/report quoting incident 278 of January 22.