She was put on life support and now, three years on, is a happy, healthy little girl.
The
crash – deemed an accident – however, had a long-lasting impact, with
Faith suffering post-traumatic stress and temporarily regressing to
babyhood.
Now
Nikki, 29, a full-time mum, who is also studying to be a nurse at
Chesterfield College, is speaking out to warn other parents of the
dangers of vehicles at home.
'Please don't assume your child is safe, sat in the living room, colouring in,' she said. 'I thought Faith was and she wasn't.
'Actually she'd sneaked out.
'I always used baby gates on the stairs, locks on the cupboards.
'But children watch everything you do.'
Nikki admitted she felt guilty about the June 23, 2013, accident, which took place on a Sunday afternoon after a family roast.
She
continued: 'I felt I'd failed in my duty as a mother – let her down.'
Faith, her siblings Tameka, 10, Shakira, nine, and Taiisha, six, were
relaxing at home with their mum and dad, Kirk Derry, 33, when the infant
sneaked out of the front door.
'She'd recently learnt to open doors and went out to the driveway,' her mum said. 'She is a quiet girl and no-one noticed.
'I only
realised she was missing when I went into the living room. She wasn't
there. I ran around the house and looked out of the window. She was
lying on the ground.'
Faith had been dragged face-down by a taxi, which was dropping off a family member.
Seeing my little girl, helpless, lying there, was heartbreaking
The driver – who was not to blame – rushed Faith and her mum to hospital, where she was immediately given CPR.
After an hour, she was stabilised and taken, heavily sedated, by ambulance to intensive care at Sheffield Children's Hospital.
There, she underwent three blood transfusions and had scans, which revealed she'd suffered no breaks but had torn her liver.
On being discharged, things didn't get any easier for the tot or her mother, who has separated from her dad.
'Before
the accident, she'd been a happy little girl,' Nikki explained. 'But
she'd regressed to being a baby. She couldn't eat properly and wanted
sippy cups again.
'She couldn't walk or hold her head up
She had to relearn how to do things she'd just learnt.'
For a year, Faith saw a speech therapist and re-learnt to talk.
Over the next three years, she went regularly to hospital for scans and X-rays. But worst of all was the psychological impact.
She hated playing peek-a-boo and bath time – anything where her face was covered.
'It reminded her of the accident,' her mum said. 'She would imagine the car on top of her and panic.'
Her family have talked to her about the accident and have not ruled out counselling in the future.
But for now, she is doing well and looking forward to starting school in September.
'She really is a hero,' said Nikki.
Nikki was helped by The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity
This funds
enhancements over and above the standard NHS provision for Sheffield
Children's Hospital, helping to match world-class equipment with
existing world-class care.
The
charity supports four key areas: specialist equipment, research into
prevention and cure of childhood illnesses, new facilities and
improvements to the hospital environment. Read more about the charity at
www.tchc.org.uk
She is also walking 60 miles for the charity from Chesterfield to Wakefield via the hospital - the route Faith took
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