AAA<\/p>\n
The devastated parents of two children killed after a school pick-up in Sydney\u2019s south-west have spoken of their grief and trauma at the busy roadside where the tragedy took place.<\/p>\n
Five-year-old Katherine had just been collected from kindergarten by her mother, Sok Ram, 33, with her one-year-old brother Harry in a pram, when the trio was struck by an SUV at the intersection of the Cumberland Highway and Gilbert Street, Cabramatta about 3pm on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
![\"Katherine,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/732f4394e21e31db0a03d6c6bece69dfb81d1a12.jpeg\")
Katherine, 5, and her one-year-old brother Harry were killed in the crash.GoFundMe<\/p>\n
In an emotional interview with Nine News at the crash site on Thursday morning, Ram and the children\u2019s father Vundy Tha said their hearts were broken \u201cinto a million pieces\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love them so much, more than my life,\u201d Ram said. \u201cI wish [the car] had hit me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ram said she was getting ready to cross Gilbert Street when the SUV, turning off the highway, stopped. As she began to cross, the car allegedly continued driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did he not see me?\u201d Sok said.<\/p>\n
![\"Vundy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a58215bb3711c93fd9af19ffbfbb525b32486826.jpeg\")
Vundy Tha and Sok Ram at the crash scene on Thursday morning.Nine News<\/p>\n
Bystanders rushed to assist after the crash, lifting the car to rescue one of the children who was trapped underneath. Sok attempted to resuscitate Harry, while others assisted with CPR before paramedics arrived.<\/p>\n
The children were rushed to Westmead Children\u2019s Hospital but later died.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t sleep. When I close my eyes, I see my kids,\u201d Sok said, adding she usually sleeps nestled between her children.<\/p>\n
Katherine, who loved reading and painting, had been due to accept an award at kindergarten on Thursday, while Harry had just started walking and would follow his sister wherever she went.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4bd9318f7e0a3320666e7ef7a5ded28a6cfa6169.jpeg\")
A fundraiser has been started to support the grieving family.GoFundMe<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are beautiful kids; they\u2019re very smart,\u201d Tha said.<\/p>\n
Sok thanked bystanders who tried their best. The couple said they forgave the driver, and pleaded with motorists to look clearly and drive safely.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love them so much,\u201d Sok said.<\/p>\n
A small memorial has been set up along the busy road where the tragedy took place, with plush toys and a candle left.<\/p>\n
Parents dropping off their children at Cabramatta West Public School, where Katherine attended, were in shock.<\/p>\n
One mother, who asked that her surname not be used, has a daughter in the year above Katherine and has had to have a difficult conversation with her children about road safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really sad, those little ones, their lives being taken,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, drive safely. Please, if it\u2019s a school zone, slow down.\u201d<\/p>\n
The school will hold an assembly with parents at 1.20pm on Thursday.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said support is available for any staff or students affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deeply saddened by the tragedy that has affected the local community and share their grief,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe extend our heartfelt condolences to family and friends of those impacted.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Tributes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7da6476a8305de4c40b03208fa72f1b6a14691ee.jpeg\")
Tributes left for the children at the scene of the accident.Sitthixay Ditthavong<\/p>\n
An online fundraiser raised more than $34,000 in a matter of hours. Organiser Patrick Te said he set it up to support the family who has \u201cbeen through the unimaginable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cA mother not only lost a child \u2014 she lost both of her children, her only two children,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like things will get any easier anytime soon \u2014 it\u2019s a long road ahead, and they deserve all the help they can get.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 56-year-old man driving the car was arrested and taken to hospital for mandatory testing. He was released pending further inquiries as police continue investigating the crash.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0d253dc3498a829aa5c05f1019577fb5fe8e7b4a.jpeg\")
The Cumberland Highway on Wednesday where two children were hit and killed in their pram.Janie Barrett<\/p>\n
Investigators have spoken to four of the eight men who are believed to have assisted at the scene by lifting the SUV onto its side to rescue one of the children trapped underneath. Police are hoping to talk to the remaining responders.<\/p>\n
They have also appealed for anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably one of the most confronting scenes that police have come across dealing with young children,\u201d Superintendent Timothy Calman told reporters on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a number of motorists that actually stopped and collectively have moved the vehicle onto its side, tipped the car over in order to get one of the children from underneath the vehicle. Other bystanders have assisted with CPR to assist the children and the children\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Amber](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6cf3ef58425442818dbc04724af4be2696ecdd06.png\")
Amber Schultz<\/a> is a crime and justice reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7f32a709f91e1faa66bfacda80bb777543e07dcb3c4d95605354f4af55bc5de3.png\")
Jack Gramenz<\/a> is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated June 18, 2026 \u2014 11:30am,first published June 18, 2026 \u2014 9:38am Save You have reached your maximum…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":743484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-743483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=743483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/743484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=743483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=743483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=743483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}