Baby girl killed when ‘driverless car slammed into pram after family friend switched on engine before exiting vehicle’
A BABY girl was killed when a driverless car hit her pram after a family friend switched on the engine before exiting the vehicle, a court heard.
Sophia Kelemen was preparing to leave Tenby in Wales following a family holiday when the tragedy unfolded.
The six-month-old was in her puschair in a car park when she was struck by a Nissan Qashqui.
Flaviu Naghi, 33, has been charged with causing Sophia's death by dangerous driving.
Swansea Crown Court heard he wasn't in the car when the "terrible accident" took place.
Dean Pulling, defending, said Naghi had been given the keys to the car to turn on the engine to warm the Nissan up.
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The court was told the car had been parked by someone else who allegedly left the handbrake off and the vehicle in gear.
When Naghi switched on the engine, the car lurched forward and struck Sophia, Mr Pulling said.
He added: "At no point was he in the driver's seat."
Naghi was remanded into custody to next appear at the same court on March 21.
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He is charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance.
The horror unfolded on January 2 on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park.
Sophia, from Leigh in Manchester, was airlifted to hospital but tragically couldn't be saved and died a day later.
An inquest opening heard the baby died of an "intracranial haemorrhage" caused by a road traffic collision.
Sophia's dad Alex previously told of his devastation and said she will always "live in my heart".
He said: "Just before we got to the car, the horror movie started. It's hard to know and to think about what happened.
"It's been horrific to see our little daughter being in that bed and go through all those procedures.
"Everybody loved her, all of our friends, our friends."
