A three year old girl who tragically died when she was crushed by the stone war monument she was playing on is being remembered as a “little angel” by her devastated family and friends, some who witnessed the horrific accident.
Indy Lee Henderson, from the western Sydney suburb of Airds, died on Saturday evening when a group of children were playing on a war memorial out the front of the Black Head Bowling at Hallidays Point, between Forster and Taree on the NSW Mid North Coast.
The children were climbing over the stone monument by the club’s entrance as adult family members nearby celebrated the little girl’s gradmother’s 50th birthday celebration.
According to police, the slab collapsed, crushing Indy as another girl was playing on top of it.
Messages of condolence have been left for the traumatised family who are mourning Indy and witnessed her death.
On an online fundraising group, which has already raised more than $5000 for Indy’s family, friends and strangers have shared their thoughts and memories of the little girl. “My beautiful little angel Indy rest in peace,” wrote a family friend.
Neighbour Julee Krapljanov described her as a “gorgeous girl” who will be “missed by many”, news.com reported.
She said her mother was “mum of the year material” and would not have taken her eye off her daughter for a moment. “I haven’t met a more loving and family orientated and devoted mother,” she said.
Emergency services were called to the club about 7.20pm. The girl was taken to Manning Rural Referral Hospital but died from her injuries.
Mick Styles, who has a holiday van in the area, said he arrived at the club after the monument had fallen on the girl. Mr Styles, a mines rescue volunteer, helped perform CPR and assisted paramedics after they arrived. “Everyone could see what was going on,” Mr Styles said. “There were a lot of family members there, there were people there collapsed, there were children crying,” he said.
“There was panic everywhere.”
