AN EIGHTEEN-month-old girl died after being run over by her father on the driveway of their Herefordshire home, an inquest heard.

Well-known county farmer Angus Davison did not realise he had reversed over daughter Greta until he received a telephone phone call from his wife after he had arrived at work.

Herefordshire county coroner David Halpern said it was “every family’s worst nightmare”, while Detective Inspector Alan Mardell described the event as a tragic accident.

The inquest heard today how Mr Davison had been leaving the family home at Haygrove Farm, Falcon Lane, near Ledbury, on February 5, when a wheel on his BMW car had run across Greta as he reversed around his wife’s 4x4.

The youngster was rushed to Hereford County Hospital but was pronounced dead soon after arrival.

Mum Beata said Greta, along with the couple’s other two children, were downstairs with au pair Gabriella Ferenczy at around 8am as Mr Davison was preparing to leave.

She said her husband asked her what the family planned to do that day before leaving the house.

Mrs Davison said the next thing she heard was the au pair screaming.

“I ran down the stairs,” she said.

“Gabriella had Greta in her arms. She was just very floppy and pale.”

Mr Davison said his daughter must have walked onto the driveway either when he was walking to the car, or when he was starting the engine.

“I didn’t have any perception of where Greta was,” he said.

“I presume she was coming to say goodbye to me. I went off as normal and then got a call while I was at work.”

Ms Ferenczy told the inquest, through a written statement, that she had played with Greta in ‘the small room’ shortly before the accident and remembers seeing her going into the same room carrying her ‘little yellow wellie’.

Soon after, the au pair said ‘Greta wasn’t around’ so she went outside to look for her and found the girl lying motionless on her side on the gravel drive.

Pathologist Dr Edmund Tapp said Greta died from a blunt force head injury.

Coroner David Halpern said that, very sadly, accidents like this do happen.

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.