British girl, 12, killed as car mounts pavement in Canary Islands resort
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A 12-year-old girl from Yorkshire has died after being knocked down in a hit-and-run accident in Gran Canaria. Abigail Harris was killed and her friend Thomas Thackray, also 12, was injured when a car mounted the pavement in the resort of Puerto Rico, on the south coast of the island. Last night the girl's parents said their daughter "didn't have a chance". The family had been celebrating Abigail's sister's birthday when the girl was knocked down and killed during an evening stroll. Her parents Nicola and Tony Harris, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, released a statement in which they spoke of their "treasured daughter".
The statement said: "Abbi and her sister Jessica are the most important things in their lives. Abbi has been snatched from them in particularly tragic circumstances. She was nearing the end of a holiday and had just been celebrating Jessica's birthday with her. A car has mounted the pavement and struck Abbi and her friend Thomas Thackray, the poor kids didn't have a chance to get out of the way. Thomas has been injured too but has now been released from hospital on the island. Nicola, Jessica and Thomas's dad Keith saw the incident and are trying to recover from the shock of it. Abbi the youngest was, and always will remain the 'little sweetheart' of her mum and dad."
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office confirmed the incident and added that consular assistance was being provided and local police were investigating.
According to reports on the Yorkshire Post website, the accident happened next to a taxi rank and one of the drivers gave chase while other witnesses called the emergency services. The taxi driver caught up with the escaping car and spoke to the driver, a man in his fifties, who returned to the scene, it was reported.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments