When Chris Tuczemskyi reflects on the freak accident that killed his partner, he gives thanks that her final act was to save their daughter’s life.
Rebecca Ableman, 30, was walking on a pavement in Willingham, Cambridgeshire, with Autumn, then two, when the unsecured crane hit her in the head, causing catastrophic brain injuries from which she died three weeks later.
But as the heavy machinery swung towards them, she was able to push the buggy containing Autumn clear, leaving her unharmed.
On Tuesday, lorry driver Kevin Miller, 71, was jailed at Peterborough Crown Court for 13 months after admitting causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.
Tuczemskyi considers his partner a hero and is grateful for the maternal instinct that spared his family even more heartache.