Shocking moment little girl is hit by car as driver praised for quick reaction

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: Horrific dashcam footage has captured the heart-stopping moment a little girl was hit by a car after darting into the middle of a Melbourne street.

Video shows the vehicle headed down a narrow suburban road with multiple cars parked on either side. As the car passes a large, dark SUV on the left, the child — who appears to be oblivious to the oncoming danger — suddenly runs out into traffic. The car hits the little girl, causing her to tumble across the bitumen as the driver slams on their breaks and comes to a complete stop.

“Luckily this driver was alert or this could have ended in tragedy,” Dash Cam Owners Australia posted on Facebook on Tuesday alongside the video.

Despite the driver’s quick reaction, a man who appears to be the girl’s dad was filmed slamming his fist on the car’s bonnet, creating a dent, before rushing over to check on his daughter, who miraculously seems to have avoided serious injury. He picks her up and cradles her in his arms while shouting at the person behind the wheel.

Social media users slam dad's reaction as driver praised

The clip has attracted a lot of attention online, with most viewers taking aim at the dad’s behaviour. “Parent doing a parental reaction but ffs, it wasn’t the driver’s fault,” one man commented. “Have better control of your kid around roads!”

“My parental reaction would be going straight to my daughter, not punching a vehicle,” another man agreed, while a woman criticised the man’s “audacity”. “Father’s first action is to hit the car and not check on his little girl. I hope that the father reads this and realises that it is his responsibility to keep his daughter safe and he failed to do so,” someone else added.

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Others said the parent should have been thanking the driver, instead of lashing out. “This driver saved that child’s life. I hope the dad realises that once he calms down from the shock. Well done on the driver for remaining calm,” a woman commended.

"Good driving to hit the brakes so quick," another agreed. "Don't know why the father would hit the car... he should be thanking the driver."

Regardless of who is at fault, numerous people said the footage was an important reminder how quickly such incidents can happen.

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