Fatal accident: a child died outside Carlingford Public School. Credit:Peter Rae Zoe was uninjured but her four year-old sister, Elle, had her pelvis fractured in two places and remained in The Children's Hospital at Westmead on Thursday. The driver's husband told Fairfax Media that they were all traumatised and "not in a good situation". On Thursday, parents brought their children back to the school on their first day of holidays to help the come to terms with what had happened, leaving a line of flowers and cards beside the knocked-down school gate. It was the last day of a "brilliant" school year for Zoe, her grandmother said.

Sisters Zoe (left) and Elle Stephen. She had won a merit award last month and, with Christmas less than a week away, was excited about going to the movies with Akshay and friends on Friday. Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander John Hartley said initial investigations indicated speed was not a factor. "I believe it was a vehicle making a three-point turn ... and the vehicle has travelled forward across the footpath," he said. "[It's] a very traumatic scene, at a school, on the last day of school," he said.

The car veered right off the driveway and crashed into a fence. Akshay and Elle were both pinned under the car. The driver was treated for shock and remains in hospital. Her two daughters, who were in the back seat, still went to school for their last day. The stretch of road outside Carlingford Public School was considered so dangerous during drop-off hours that the Department of Education had issued a directive banning parents from using the school's driveways, the local council had started sending infringement officers to fine drivers and principal Neil Hinton had repeatedly begged parents to be more careful. In March, a group of students was almost hit by a distracted parent who was "oblivious to the fact that … one of our teachers was escorting a number of students across the crossing", Mr Hinton wrote to parents.

"Unfortunately, there are still a number of parents who are disobeying road rules and jeopardising our students' safety when dropping their children to and from school." Loading Mr Hinton said he would "consult police after their investigation is complete to determine if there is anything further the school can do to improve pedestrian safety in and around its grounds". - with Emma Partridge