Woman takes final photo of three-year-old granddaughter just seconds before she was killed in hit-and-run

An Idaho grandmother took a representation of her three-year-old granddaughter specified seconds earlier she was killed portion picking flowers successful a hit-and-run accident. 

Samantha Jensen's ma was babysitting young Scarlett and her two-year-old member Henry erstwhile the unthinkable happened successful 2022. 

It's lone now, 2 years later, she's felt acceptable to stock the last representation of her kids playing unneurotic earlier Scarlett was tragically killed.  

In a station on TikTok, Samantha wrote: 'My ma took this representation astatine 4:47 p.m. and my daughter's clip of decease was 4:52. My ma didn't cognize she was capturing the past moments of her life.

'I looked astatine the timestamp and realized it was lone 5 minutes earlier her declared clip of death, truthful it indispensable person been taken seconds earlier the idiosyncratic deed them.' 

 'This 1 is truly hard for maine to look at, conscionable knowing what comes adjacent breaks my heart.'

Jamie had lone conscionable returned location from taking the children to get crystal pick erstwhile Scarlett to get retired of her stroller to prime flowers.

'That's erstwhile my ma took the past representation I person of her alive.'

While the small miss was engaged gathering yellowish and purple flowers successful their backstage driveway, a Chevy Tahoe came hurtling down the ungraded road. It struck Scarlett, arsenic good arsenic her small member and grandmother. 

Before the Tahoe deed them, Jamie screamed astatine the operator to halt and tried to propulsion her grandchildren retired of the way. 

But the antheral driving the car was going 'too fast.'

'Scarlett was killed astir instantly and my ma and Henry were critically injured,' Samantha recalled to People. 

The grief-stricken parent didn't recognize until weeks afterwards that her parent had taken a representation that documented her Scarlett's last moments. 

'My ma mislaid her telephone erstwhile they were deed and it took america a portion to find it, truthful erstwhile we yet did I was going done the pictures and recovered that one,' Samantha said. 

Looking astatine the representation was initially 'excruciating' for Samantha. 

'It was highly achy for maine to look astatine successful the beginning. How bash you travel to presumption wit the beingness of a "last picture" of your child?'

But 2 years later, she has travel to admit the photo, uncovering comfortableness successful the tranquil country it depicts, sharing it connected her TikTok account which prompted heartwarming responses from strangers.  

Samantha said: 'I americium truthful incredibly thankful to person that photo. It captures the peaceful feeling of her past moments, the quality she was surrounded by erstwhile she took her past breaths. 

'I volition everlastingly representation her blessed and carefree, picking flowers with her champion person and Meemaw.'

Following the collision, Henry had to beryllium life-flighted to a children's infirmary wherever 'they recovered a fractured spine, six breached ribs, a breached jaw, a breached collarbone, a liver laceration and respective different injuries.'

The two-year-old lad 'spent a week successful the PICU earlier helium was unchangeable capable to travel home, and helium had a afloat assemblage brace connected for 10 weeks,' Samantha said. 

Eventually, Henry and his grandma managed to retrieve from their grievous injuries. 

But the grieving household inactive grapples with affectional wounds. Born connected New Years Day of 2019, Scarlett was 'the long-awaited archetypal child' of Samantha and her husband. 

Jim Patton, Scarlett's grandfather, told KHQ that she was 'so afloat of life, truthful afloat of love...such a astute small girl.' 

'A portion of my psyche is gone.' 

Samantha described her girl arsenic 'the silliest, sweetest small girl.'

'She loved horses, unicorns, being a large sister, and the movies Frozen and Spirit. 

'The implicit joyousness of her beingness were her siblings. She loved helping instrumentality attraction of babe Molly and playing with her champion person Henry.'

Without Scarlett moving around, 'the location feels truthful quiescent and bare without her.'

The household inactive struggles to recognize the actions of the operator progressive successful the incident. After initially fleeing the country connected foot, helium was picked up by authorities a fewer miles away. 

'How bash you bash that? How bash you locomotion distant from suffering?' Patton asked. 

According to Samantha, the operator is present serving 10 years successful prison, though helium received 2 years credited for the clip helium spent down bars during the ineligible proceedings. 

Occasionally, the parent finds her grief overwhelming. 'Some days, it feels similar I americium drowning, and immoderate days I americium capable to tread water.'

Samantha said she decided to stock her affectional travel connected societal media truthful that others could spot 'that it is good to grieve loudly.' 

'You don't person to bash it successful silence. Talk astir your people, shriek their names large and arrogant and ne'er halt sharing their stories.'