A Kentucky family is mourning the loss of a four-year-old girl who died following a devastating tractor accident on the family farm, just one month before she was due to celebrate her fifth birthday.
Hellayna Michelle King, affectionately known as Layna, was riding on a trailer attached to the back of a tractor when the vehicle suddenly stopped on September 2.
The abrupt stop caused Hellayna to fall from the trailer before the tractor reversed over her, leaving the young girl critically injured, according to Clark County Coroner Neal Oliver.
The tragedy was compounded by what relatives described as an agonizing wait for emergency responders, with the closure of a nearby bridge forcing crews to take a longer route to the property.
Family waited for emergency help
Hellayna’s aunt, LaDonna Lovings, told WKYT that relatives remained with the severely injured child for approximately 45 minutes before emergency assistance arrived.
“They had to sit there 45 minutes with her and it was just a tragic, tragic loss,” Lovings said.
According to the family, emergency responders might have been able to reach the property in approximately 15 to 20 minutes if the nearby bridge had been open.
Lovings acknowledged there is no way to know whether a quicker response would have changed the outcome. However, she said simply having emergency personnel there sooner to attempt to help Hellayna would have made a difference to relatives forced to watch the situation unfold.
Hellayna died following the accident on September 2. She would have celebrated her fifth birthday on October 5.
“Nothing can prepare you for having to say goodbye to your niece, your daughter, bonus daughter or whatever she was to us,” Lovings told WKYT. “Words can’t express how much we miss her and how we wish we could go back.”
Remembering a little girl who loved the farm
Hellayna’s family remembered her as an energetic and joyful child whose presence brought happiness to those around her.
The family farm held a particularly special place in her life. According to her obituary, she loved spending time around the animals and had a special affection for the cows.
She also loved singing and frequently filled her days with music.
“Whether she was outside playing, helping on the farm, or singing a favorite song, Layna embraced life with an energy and happiness that will be deeply missed by everyone who loved her,” her obituary read.
Hellayna was one of four children and leaves behind her parents and three siblings.
Her mother, Rebecca Lovings, described the family’s devastation in a GoFundMe established to help with the cost of an urn and other expenses as the family deals with the loss.
“We are so heartbroken we have lost our world and don’t know how to carry on with our lives,” she wrote.
Rebecca said the family knows they must continue moving forward for their three other children, but explained that asking for financial assistance had become necessary after missing work while dealing with the tragedy.
“I don’t like asking for help but will need to swallow my pride as we need to get an urn for our beautiful baby girl,” she wrote.
For Hellayna’s family, a day on the farm ended in a loss they never imagined facing, leaving them to mourn a little girl they remembered for her happiness, her singing and her love of the place she called home.
