"He is hurt, but this is something he can recover from," Kelly Hopton-Jones said a doctor had reassured her as she opened up about the incident on Instagram
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A parenting influencer has opened up about accidentally running over her young son with her car in a candid Instagram post
- Kelly Hopton-Jones thought Henry, 23 months, was still in the garage when she went to drive off with her daughter Lily, 4
- She told followers that Henry had sustained pelvic fractures and some abrasions, but thankfully nothing more serious during the incident
Parenting influencer Kelly Hopton-Jones has shared a candid social media post after accidentally running her young son over with her car.
The mom-of-two, 36, called Wednesday, April 15, "the worst day of our lives" in an Instagram post, but reassured followers that Henry, 23 months, would be OK in what she described as "a true miracle."
Hopton-Jones, who often shares parenting advice on her Hillside Farmhouse blog, explained that she'd been taking the car to drive daughter Lily, 4, to pick up donuts before her dance performance.
Meanwhile, Henry and her husband, Brian, were going to stay home and meet them later. Henry had been in the garage, but ran out and "in a matter of seconds, our son was run over by our car," the content creator wrote, adding that she was driving at the time.
Credit: Getty
The family's neighbors stepped in to care for Lily while both parents took Henry to the emergency room, and the toddler received X-rays, a CT scan and a neurological exam.
He sustained some pelvic fractures and a few abrasions in the accident, but the tests showed no signs of anything more serious. Hopton-Jones said what stayed with her the most was a doctor telling the parents, "He is hurt, but this is something he can recover from."
She added that the family is "in shock" but "so incredibly grateful."
Hopton-Jones shared a photo of Henry recovering in a hospital bed after the ordeal, as well as several pictures of herself holding her son's hand, showing his bandaged arm.
Credit: Getty
The registered nurse practitioner discussed the guilt and relief the couple felt as they tried to figure out how the accident could have happened. "We could drive ourselves crazy with the what ifs, and honestly, we are a little bit," she admitted in the post's caption. "But accidents happen."
"I keep coming back to what I would tell my own kids one day if this happened to them," she continued. "It would be a lot kinder than the things we're telling ourselves right now."
Over one of the images, the influencer urged other parents to always hold their child's hand around vehicles. "Do not assume they know or will stay where you last saw them," she warned.
"Even when you are not distracted. Even when you are not rushing. It can still happen in the blink of an eye," Hopton-Jones insisted.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"We are holding him a little tighter tonight," she wrote over the last image, which was one of Henry in his hospital bed.
“We’re on the lucky side of a very tragic accident,” Hopton-Jones wrote in the post’s caption.
Followers offered well-wishes to Henry and showed support to the parents in the comments on her post. "Henry sure has some superhero powers and a great story to tell someday!" wrote one. Another reassured her, "Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing — it's a learning opportunity for all us parents."
PEOPLE has reached out to Hopton-Jones for an update.
Read the full article here