A pregnant woman died Monday after her 6-year-old son accidentally shifted a minivan’s gear and ran over her.
Shannon MacLeod, 35, took some of her children to Sunnyside Beach Park in Steilacoom, Washington. They were loading up to head home and she was behind the minivan putting items in the back when the vehicle rolled backward and pinned her.
According to The News Tribune, firefighters used equipment to lift the vehicle off MacLeod.
MacLeod, who was eight months pregnant, died on the way to a hospital.
Nathan Macleod and his mother’s boyfriend of 18 years, Joseph Verplank, sat grieving side by side when they were interviewed Tuesday by KIRO.
“One of the kids was in the car or something like that, and the kids were playing around, and one of the kids knocked the car into neutral,” Nathan said, fighting back tears. “Mom was trying to stop the car.”
No one else was injured.
Doctors performed an emergency C-section and saved the baby, who was taken to Seattle Children’s Hospital. However, Joseph Jr. is not doing well. He is not showing much brain activity, family said.
“I mean, it’s bad enough I lost my significant other,” Verplank said, his voice trailing off into tears. “But then to lose a child.”
The family is still trying to get back on its feet after a fire gutted their home in December. Most are currently staying at a motel in the Tacoma area.
They have set up a GoFundMe account to help with medical and funeral expenses.
“Help if you can,” Nathan said. “I’m not asking for a lot, but my family is in desperate need. They lost everything in the fire, and now we lost our mother.”
Pierce County sheriff’s detectives are assisting with the investigation.