Seven-year-old boy stayed by mom's side for 12 hours after she died following car accident

A schoolboy waited beside his mom for 12 hours after she passed away following a car crash they were involved in that saw them plunge off an embankment.

The tragedy struck as the seven-year-old boy was traveling with his mom back from a friend's house to their home in Tollhouse, an unincorporated community in the Sierra Nevada - roughly a 40-minute drive from Fresno in the heart of California.

The mom and her son were driving back to Tollhouse (Google Street View)

The incident took place on Saturday (February 1) when they were driving along Highway 168. The California Highway Patrol said the mom lost control of the car before driving off the embankment and rolling 200ft to the bottom - which, to put into comparison, is about two-thirds of the size of the Statue of Liberty.

Officials believe that the mom and son were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.

Authorities had been alerted of their disappearance by their family after they failed to make it home around midnight when they were expected back, and by 8.45am the next day (February 2) they were still missing.

Tragically, the boy's mom passed away shortly after the accident but he is understood to have stayed by her side even after she died.

The pair were only found after a motorist called the cops to report a child was walking along the highway alone.

Tragically, the seven-year-old boy's mom died while driving back home on Highway 168, in California (Google Street View)

California Highway Patrol officer John Marsh told KSFN that the car was 'basically sitting in a grove of trees, covered and not visible from the highway'.

Meanwhile, a first responder told the outlet that the child 'was in a car seat that he did not fall out of'.

He has since been taken to hospital to treat a number of injuries, including a broken arm.

An investigation has been launched by police officers to determine exactly how the accident happened and whether alcohol was a factor.

It comes just three months after 16-year-old Trevyn Mackey died while driving along Highway 168 in a single-vehicle collision.

The Clovis West student collided with a boulder around two miles east of Sample Road.

The teenager was rushed to hospital where he tragically passed away days after a GoFundMe page was set up to help pay for medical bills.

Following his death, Trevyn's mom posted on the page: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am sending this message. Thank you friends and family for the love and support.

"Unfortunately, Trevyn’s injuries were too much for him to fight any longer. He took his last breaths this morning, surrounded by his family. 4T4L I love you Rev you have left a gaping hole in my life."