Sydney mum dies after backyard BBQ treat ends in tragedy
A Sydney mother trying to create a special school holiday memory for her children has died after suffering severe burns in a backyard accident.
Charlotte Rose-Ann Hill, 38, was trying to set up a barbecue to roast marshmallows with her family when she accidentally caught fire herself, news.com.au reported.
Her 11-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter were nearby and heard their mother cry out in pain.
“Her youngest daughter screamed. She screamed the loudest she has ever screamed in her life to alert their dad, who was getting ready to go to work,” Charlotte’s cousin, Bianca Hill, told news.com.au.
She said the son tried to help before their father Matt Tierney arrived.
“[He] used his jacket to try and put out the fire on his mum.”
Charlotte Rose-Ann Hill died after suffering severe burns in a backyard accident. Photo / Charlotte Rose-Anne Hill
The father provided first aid before taking her to hospital. Charlotte Rose-Ann Hill suffered significant burns to her face and hands. Bianca Hill then arrived and helped transfer her cousin to a specialist burns unit.
“I actually jumped in the ambulance with her and she was in so much agony,” Bianca told news.com.au. “Watching someone that you love suffer like that … it seriously broke me.
“Thankfully her children were not harmed because they were in the backyard at the time. They were so brave and so heroic in those moments,” Bianca Hill told the news outlet.
At first there were positive signs after she survived an initial operation and her family were hopeful as she appeared to be recovering, Bianca Hill wrote on fundraising site GoFundMe. She was alert and speaking with her children by phone.
Charlotte Rose-Ann Hill was getting the BBQ ready for her two children. Photo / Charlotte Rose-Anne Hill
However, the family later received devastating news.
“I received the worst phone call you can get,” Bianca Hill said.
She said the mother-of-two was found unresponsive by hospital staff and later died from complications related to her injuries on July 10.
Her brother, Max Hill, posted a tribute on social media.
“You cared so much for everyone and never expected anything in return. You were a strong and kind individual. Thankyou for being a great aunty to Kai and Teo. We love and miss you. Rest peacefully you are forever in our hearts,” he wrote.
Bianca Hill said the loss was especially painful because Charlotte Rose-Ann Hill witnessed the death of her own mother as a child, news.com.au reported.
“She just never ever wanted her children to have to go through the same traumatic pain that loss brought her.”
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