She is in his arms and their smiles are brimming with happiness.

He replays those final moments he had with her on Sunday again and again in his mind. She gave him, her nan and her two cousins ‘‘a kiss and a cuddle and said she loved them’’. 

He never imagined that would be the last time he would see her alive.

The two-year-old died after the Nissan Pulsar she was travelling in with her mother Tori Shipman and her 11-month-old brother Atticus left the New England Highway near Willow Tree on Monday night and rolled, landing down an embankment on the side of the road. 

Initial investigations have revealed it appears that Jannali may not have been appropriately restrained in the vehicle.

Atticus was restrained properly in a baby seat, according to police, and is receiving treatment in John Hunter Childrens Hospital.

The family has confirmed he is improving. 

Mr Brown and his family have spoken publicly about their ordeal to pay tribute to Jannali and hit back at criticism that Mr Brown knew Ms Shipman was driving their children home from a visit with him while she had a suspended learners licence. 

Mr Brown said Ms Shipman’s mother had picked Jannali up from his Tamworth home on Sunday and he thought she was taking her to her home in Gunnedah.

He said Atticus had stayed behind with his mother, and he did not find out about the crash until his sister saw it on Facebook. 

Jannali’s aunty Margaret Blacklock said she was ‘‘the happiest little girl in the world’’ who had an ‘‘unbreakable bond’’ with her father and a special love for her brother. 

‘‘That little girl was his princess ... The three of them had a bond like no other,’’ she said. 

Her nan Rebecca Morgan said her son and granddaughter loved spending time together. 

‘‘She wouldn’t watch a movie unless her dad was there with her, she wouldn’t go out the back and play unless her dad was with her,’’ she said. 

Police investigations are continuing and they are yet to lay any charges.