Colorado cop sang lullaby to little girl after car crash as viral photo was taken

A HERO cop has revealed how he calmed down a young crash victim in this viral photo — and the emotional connection she shares with his own daughter.

A US cop has described how he sang Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to calm a young crash victim — the same lullaby he sings to his own daughter.

Colorado police officer Nick Struck was captured in a heart-wrenching photo last week cradling the little girl as investigators examined the wreckage of a car crash that killed the child’s father and injured her mother and three siblings.

The photo went viral on social media over the weekend.

In a new interview, Struck said the hysterical two-year-old was thrust into his arms by another emergency worker as he arrived at the crash scene near a US highway.

“My first thought was that this could’ve been my daughter, who is also two years old,” Struck told TODAY.com.

“Whenever my daughter falls down or gets hurt, I scoop her up and start singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and by the time we get to ‘up above,’ she stops crying and starts singing along.”

Colorado police officer Nick Struck.

The heart-wrenching photo was snapped by witness Jessica Matrious, who had seen the family’s SUV flip and roll minutes earlier.

She captured the moment Struck pointed to the flashing lights of an emergency vehicle, which matched the rhythm of the lullaby.

Struck said the toddler calmed down and stroked the back of his arm as he sang. That’s exactly what his own daughter did, he said.

Struck added that he was grateful to have the emotional moment captured on camera.

“It’s a rare glimpse and a good opportunity for people to see that this actually happens all over the country on a daily basis; it just doesn’t always get caught on camera,” he said.

Soon after the snap was taken, the little girl was taken to hospital for care as Struck’s attention turned to helping determine the cause of the crash.

The experience made for a poignant day for Struck on Sunday, which was his 31st birthday and Father’s Day in the United States.

He said he would be thinking about the little girl, who is now fatherless, as his daughter reached milestones like learning to ride a bike or starting school.

“It’s never a good time for this, but to happen on Father’s Day weekend was just horrible,” Struck said. “For me, the day was all about spending time with my daughter and being able to hold her.

“That moment will definitely affect me for the rest of my life. Every girl needs her dad, but I’m happy I was able to be there to help get her through that emotional day.”