The mother of a three-year-old boy who died in a collision with a tractor on a farm said she was “devastated beyond repair”.
Albie Speakman was fatally injured on farmland off Bentley Hall Road in the Tottington area of To bury, Greater Manchesterat approximately 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 16.
His family was in a vehicle that transported the child to hospital before catching a passing ambulance, but the youngster died before he arrived.
The tractor driver, who knew the child, helps the police with their investigation.
Officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
Albie’s mother, Leah, described her son as her “little sun boy”.
She said: “Albie was an incredibly loving, affectionate and caring boy who just wanted everyone to be happy.
“He was so sensitive and wanted everyone to be okay, especially the people he loved.
“He loved to play, whether it was with his family or with friends at the nursery. He was always looking for little round things wherever he went – rocks, Styrofoam balls, bouncy balls, beads – I’m not sure why, but he just loved anything that was round, he would just hold them.
“His favorite memories are of Cleethorpes beach, with his bucket and spade and his ball. His happiest days were on that beach. We were so free and had no worries in the world. It was just me and Albie and nothing else mattered.
I always call him my little sunshine boy because he’s brought so much light into my life and he’s my little ray of sunshine, and I don’t want his life to end here. I have to live for him and take him everywhere
“If I asked him what he wanted to do, he wanted to go on holiday to the beach again. That’s how I know he was really happy there.
“We all love Albie so much more than we can ever put into words, especially his Nan and his ‘Nanny-Nanny’ as he always called her.
“I will absolutely miss everything about Albie – his voice, his smile, the smell of his skin and the feeling of his little hands on my face when he said ‘I love you, mama girl’.
“I will miss going on adventures with Albie most of all, wherever we could have fun. Nothing will ever fill the hole he left in our hearts.
“We are irreparably broken.
“I always call him my little sun boy because he’s brought so much light into my life and he’s my little sunbeam, and I don’t want his life to end here.
“I have to live for him and take him everywhere. We still have so many memories to make, Albie.
Despite his family igniting an ambulance as they rushed him to the hospital, unfortunately the boy could not be rescued after the best efforts of paramedics. I can’t imagine how distressing this was for those involved
“I love him so much and I know that one day, somehow, he will find his way back to me, because we need each other.
“Until then I will look for him in everything I do and I will celebrate his life.
“I’m not sure how to continue this life without you, but I’ll find a way to be strong for you and make you proud.”
A joint investigation by the police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and specialized agents of Greater Manchester Police Department (GMP) support Albie’s family.
Chief Inspector Ian Partington, of GMP’s Bury district, said: “Despite his family lighting an ambulance as they rushed him to hospital, unfortunately the boy could not be rescued after the best efforts of paramedics. I can’t imagine how painful this was for those involved.
“We are working to ensure that a full investigation is conducted, and farmland where we understand this incident occurred remains cordoned off to allow our investigators and partners of the HSE to do a thorough investigation to determine exactly what happened here.”
A police car was involved in a minor accident involving another vehicle in Bell Lane, while officers attended the first call from the North West Ambulance Service.
The occupants of the second car were taken to hospital as a precaution.
The officer in the police car was unharmed.