A one-year-old boy has died in North Carolina after his father reversed over him with his pickup truck in the driveway of the family home.

The incident took place on Huntsmoor Drive in Charlotte, a city in the south-eastern US state of North Carolina, on Monday 13th December.

Mateo Jaciel Ayala-Martinez, 1, was reportedly behind his father’s pickup truck when he was reversing it in the driveway that day, according to the police, who later determined that the vehicle was a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado.

The dad, named as Elgar Orlando Ayala in local media reports, told police that he was moving his truck in the driveway when he suddenly heard his son shout out. He got out of the vehicle and saw that little Mateo had been hit.

Both parents reportedly told officers that they believed that their son had been inside the home at the time of the incident that ultimately cost him his life.

The toddler was flown to the Atrium Health Main hospital for immediate surgery due to life-threatening injuries.

The young boy died in hospital during surgery to treat his life-threatening injuries, details of which were not released.

A GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mateos-grieving-family) set up by the child’s cousin, named in reports as Carolina Noriega, had already raised over USD 4,600 (GBP 3,460) at the time of writing, out of a USD-10,000 (GBP-7,520) goal.

The GoFundMe page reads, in part: “[Mateo] was one year old. I cannot describe to you the grief that our family is feeling from this unimaginable tragedy. The parents will not ask for anything at this time.

“However, we want them to be able to be with each other and their other children (9 & 12 year old) during this time without worrying about working, bills, and arrangements. Your donations are greatly appreciated. Please lift this family up in your prayers.”

The police investigation into the incident is currently ongoing and at the time of writing, no charges had been filed.