Willingham mum killed by lorry pushed daughter to safety

A woman who died after she was hit by a lorry saved her two-year-old daughter's life by pushing her pram out of the way, her partner has said.

Rebecca Ableman was seriously injured when she was struck on 22 September in Willingham in Cambridgeshire and died three weeks later.

The 30-year-old, who lived in the village, was walking with her two-year-old daughter Autumn in a pram.

Her partner Chris Tuczemskyi said she "was such a devoted mother".

The 34-year-old said: "The lorry… struck the back of her and one of the eyewitnesses saw Becky pushed the pram out of the way."

He said had she not done so the pram "would have been swept up with the lorry".

Mr Tuczemskyi said his partner was "so dedicated to Autumn and would have done anything for her".

He said it was "incredibly hard" without his partner, who was "so close" to their daughter.

Mr Tuczemskyi said: "Their personalities were so alike, if some of Autumn's favourite music was playing it was 'mummy has to dance, daddy isn't allowed to dance' and even now something will play on the radio and she'll go 'mummy sings this' or 'mummy danced to this'.

"She doesn't have a true understanding of what's happened as such, we've tried to explain that she's gone up to the stars, but she still asks for her."

A fundraising page set up by Mr Tuczemskyi in honour of his partner has raised more than £12,000.

The money raised will be given the East Anglian Air Ambulance and the neurological critical care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, who he said "went above and beyond for us".

About £1,000 will be used to install a bench and plant a tree in the Willingham Community Orchard.

Mr Tuczemskyi will also use some of the money to create a trust fund for their daughter when she turns 18.

He said they had "never been a family would want money given to us" but the amount donated was "amazing".

The driver of the lorry, a 67-year-old man, was arrested and remains on bail.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]