Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Six-month-old died after pram hit by vehicle in car park, coroner told

Sophia Kelemen, from the Leigh area of Manchester, died following an incident in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, on January 2.

George Thompson
Tuesday 14 January 2025 10:17 GMT
Sophia Kelemen died after her pram was hit by a car in Tenby (family handout/PA)
Sophia Kelemen died after her pram was hit by a car in Tenby (family handout/PA) (PA Media)

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 six-month-old girl died from a head injury after her pram was hit by a car, an inquest opening has heard.

Sophia Kelemen, from the Leigh area of Manchester, was hit on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, on January 2 and died a day later in hospital.

An inquest into her death was opened at Pembrokeshire Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.

Pc Carrie Sheridan, the coroner’s officer for Pembrokeshire, said: “At approximately 4.04pm on January 2, police received reports from ambulance that a collision has occurred involving a single motor vehicle and a child’s pram.

“This has taken place on the ground floor of the main multi-storey car park in Tenby.”

Ms Sheridan said Sophia was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales and underwent emergency treatment, but she later died.

She added the cause of death was recorded as “intracranial haemorrhage” caused by a road traffic collision.

The assistant coroner for Pembrokeshire, Gareth Lewis, adjourned the inquest for further police investigations to take place.

He said: “Please can I extend my sincere condolences to the family of Sophia and to all of those who are affected by these tragic circumstances.”

Flaviu Naghi, 33, from Wigan, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance.

Naghi is due to appear before Swansea Crown Court on February 7.

He was also arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and drug-driving and has been released on bail for these offences.

Speaking with the BBC, Sophia’s father Alex Kelemen, 27, said the family had been on holiday in Tenby and were preparing to head home when the incident happened.

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 family.”

He said the family hope to lay Sophia to rest in Romania, where they are originally from.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in