Olympian Isaac Ntiamoah heartbroken after running over and killing baby son
Australian Olympian Isaac Ntiamoah is grieving the loss of his baby son after a freak accident in which he ran over the tot in the driveway of their home.
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An Australian Olympian is grieving the loss of his son on his first birthday after accidentally running him over in the driveway of their home.
Track and field athlete Isaac Ntiamoah was preparing for his son Josiah’s birthday party on Friday, driving to and from the house to pick up supplies.
About 3pm, Mr Ntiamoah’s Mitsubishi ASX accidentally hit Josiah at the Whitford Rd property at Green Valley, in Sydney’s west.
It is understood Josiah’s mother Angelina, a schoolteacher, saw the accident and pulled him from under the car.
She drove Josiah to Liverpool Hospital but he died shortly afterwards.
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Mr Ntiamoah arrived at hospital in such a state of shock that police had not been able to speak to him by Saturday morning.
Mr Ntiamoah, 36, submitted to mandatory blood and alcohol tests and the Crash Investigation Unit towed the Mitsubishi from the hospital for examination, but it was returned to the family yesterday.
It is understood Josiah’s death is being treated as a tragic accident.
Family and friends rallied around the couple yesterday, with a steady stream of visitors offering flowers and hugs at the front door.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said the couple had been overjoyed by Josiah’s birth after a prolonged period of trying for a baby.
“They were over the moon and he was a fantastic father. Extremely proud,” she said.
She said Josiah was just learning to walk, adding: “He was a very good little boy.”
Josiah was the third child killed in a driveway accident in the past two months.
On July 6, an 18-month-old was run over by a four-wheel drive outside a family home at Tailem Bend in South Australia.
A week earlier, a two-year-old boy was killed when he was hit by his family’s car north of Adelaide.
More than five children are killed and 47 seriously injured in driveway accidents across the country every year, according to the NSW Centre for Road Safety.
Mr Ntiamoah was a member of the Australian 4x100 relay team that finished sixth in the final at the 2012 London Olympics.
This came after his squad equalled the Australian record with their time to qualify for the final.
A former Fairfield High student, Mr Ntiamoah started his running career at age seven with the Fairfield Little Athletics Club and told media in 2012 that he was a “late bloomer” in the sport.
“I only started to take it seriously after I finished high school and that’s probably why I have done well later in my career,’’ he said.
Injury cruelled his attempt to make the Australian squad for the 2004 Athens Games while he failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
He narrowly missed bringing home a medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India after finishing fourth by 0.25 seconds.
Originally published as Olympian Isaac Ntiamoah heartbroken after running over and killing baby son
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