A Trenton, Ont. family is in shock after a 54-year-old mother of two was run over and killed by her elderly father as he was trying to park an SUV.

The accident happened on Saturday morning while Tammy Conley, her 15-year-old daughter Samantha, and her 79-year-old father were parking outside the Civic campus of the Ottawa Hospital. They were in the city to deliver a birthday card to Tammy’s mother, who was in hospital being treated for a blood clot in her head.

Police say it appears that Conley’s father was at the wheel, trying to parallel park, when he struck the vehicle parked behind him.

Tammy Conley ran from the sidewalk in front of the vehicle. That’s when it appears the driver accelerated forward, striking Conley and another car before mounting the curb on the opposite side of the street and coming to a stop on a lawn.

John Collins, who owns the home where the black SUV stopped, says he came out when he heard the screams of Conley’s daughter Samantha, who had witnessed the whole thing.

“We were made aware of it because the daughter was crying and crying for her mother,” he told CTV Ottawa.

Paramedics rushed to the scene and Conley was revived, but succumbed later to her injuries.

Ottawa police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Conley’s husband of 24 years, Brad, describes Saturday’s events as a “terrible” accident that has left them feeling like their hearts have “been ripped out.”

“It’s not supposed to be this way. She was one of those people who was supposed to be here for all of us. And it’s devastating to us all,” he told CTV Ottawa’s Claudia Cautillo by phone from Trenton.

“She was just the best mother and wife. I’ve said it since the day I met her. There was no love like Tammy’s love.”

He says family and friends have been offering them emotional support as they grieve and the phone has not stopped ringing. But he says his father-in-law has not been doing well.

“I don’t know how you feel when you hit your own daughter with a car,” he said.

Conley says his daughter Samantha has not spoken much since the accident either.

Tammy Conley, who was a funeral director in Trenton for more than 30 years, is survived by her parents, 15-year-old Samantha and an 18-year-old son, Mason.

With a report from CTV's Claudia Cautillo