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Hundreds remember mother and son | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of a mother and her toddler from Lancashire, who were killed when a car mounted a pavement and struck them. | |
Jackie Bloomer, 29, was pushing the pram of 18-month-old Jayden in Water Street, Accrington when the vehicle careered into their path. | |
Jayden died in the crash on 9 February and Mrs Bloomer died four days later. | |
Mother and son were laid to rest after a service at the Parish Church of St James in Accrington. | |
Paramedics who tried to save their lives stood guard outside the church with officers from Lancashire Police. | |
Mr Bloomer held a single red rose for his wife while a picture of their son in a Father Christmas hat was carried inside. | |
He paid tribute to her on a card with flowers spelling out her name, saying he would "never forget her". | |
"Please take care of our baby boy who needed you to be with him. Only me and you will know just how much love we had for each other," he said. | |
'Absolute tragedy' | |
Mrs Bloomer, a nursery nurse, and Jayden were on their way to collect her elder son, six-year-old Declan, from school when the accident happened. | |
The driver, 89-year-old Ernest Wray, also died in the crash, after losing control of his green Range Rover. | |
It is thought Mr Wray fell ill at the wheel of his car, causing it to swerve on to the pavement. | |
Inspector Gary Crowe, from Lancashire Police, said officers found the accident "very difficult to deal with emotionally". | |
He said: "It is an absolute tragedy. It is certainly one of the worst accidents I have ever seen. It has very deeply touched both the police officers and the community of Accrington." |