Emma and Ryan Galloway open up on their toddler’s incredible survival after a 4WD driver towing a van ran over their toddler son Parker at an Esperance caravan park thinking he was a speed bump

A Perth mother has told of the horror of a 4WD driver towing a van and running over her son in a caravan park, thinking he was a speed bump.

Emma and Ryan Galloway stayed at the crowded campsite in Esperance, Western Australia with their sons Archie and Parker, now 7 and 4.

On the evening of January 10, 2023, Parker asked if he could ride his scooter for “one more lap” before dinner.

As Parker, then 2 years old, crossed the road, a man in a LandCruiser towing a trailer didn’t see the toddler as he looked for a parking spot.

Parker was run over by both the front and rear wheels of the vehicle and was covered in a blanket under the car by the time his parents and brother arrived on the scene to see what the commotion was.

Parents Emma (left) and Ryan (centre) Galloway are pictured with Parker, who is now four years old

“He was conscious but not really responsive so we just lay under the car with him until the ambulance came and took him to hospital,” Ms Galloway said.

‘The driver had knocked Parker over with his bull bar and then ran over him with his front wheel. Then ran over him again. He just thought he was a speed bump,” she told The Flying Doctor podcast.

‘It was just very unfortunate timing. No one is to blame. But there were a number of witnesses who saw everything. It was horrible.’

If there can be any happiness in this kind of tragedy, the Galloways had it: the first people on the scene were a pediatrician, a nurse and a midwife.

Parker’s mother said they were the first angels to care for her son.

‘He was on his stomach and was conscious, but he was whimpering. He moved his head a little, but couldn’t speak. At the time we didn’t know what had happened,” Ms Galloway said.

When Parker arrived at the local hospital, doctors discovered the extent of his injuries and he was flown to Perth Children’s Hospital for treatment not available in Esperance.

He was brought to Perth by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the second set of angels who helped save Parker.

Parker (pictured) was run over by both the front and rear wheels of the vehicle and was covered in a blanket under the car by the time his parents and brother arrived on the scene

The Galloways were incredibly lucky that the first people on the scene were a pediatrician, a nurse and a midwife. Parker is pictured after the ordeal

“It was so inspiring to see them stabilize him on that flight and work in such a small space,” Ms Galloway said.

‘I still didn’t really know what was happening and it was extremely loud in there… and they were just so beautiful to me because I was obviously very upset.

‘From the moment they met you they made you feel so comfortable and although no doctor can say everything will be fine, you knew you were in good hands.’

A full body scan revealed that his pelvis was broken in three places, his arm was broken, he had internal bleeding and a laceration to his liver.

The distraught parents feared the worst, but their brave boy survived.

He was in the hospital for four weeks, but because of his injuries he “just had to lie there” in bed, which was very difficult for everyone, his mother said.

‘There were times when he was screaming all night. But he mostly just watched TV, that’s all we could do. It was heartbreaking to see,” she said.

The father and mother took turns staying with Parker all night, watching over him, while the other caught up on sleep at home.

When he finally recovered enough to be discharged, he still had to use a wheelchair until he could move easily again.

Police who later saw CCTV footage of the crash told the Galloways ‘it is truly a miracle he survived’.

Emma thinks the way Parker’s scooter fell onto the road in front of him took some of the weight of the vehicle.

Parker (pictured) spent four weeks in hospital and had to use a wheelchair for a while after his discharge

Parker (pictured) still has some problems walking and moving and is monitored every six months

“It was extremely, extremely happy,” she said.

Parker still has some problems walking and moving and is monitored every six months.

But he’s riding his scooter again and ‘jumping around’ like any other four-year-old boy.

“He’s just loving life now,” Emma said.