Pub owners heartbroken as more crash victims identified

“On behalf of all of us, at The Royal Hotel in Daylesford, we wish to express our deepest sympathy for those who have passed away, those injured, their families and everyone affected by this terrible tragedy."

Joel Erickson

3 min read

November 7, 2023 - 9:36AM

Family Life

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The owners of the pub at the centre of a horrific crash that killed five people in regional Victoria say they are “extremely distressed” by the carnage.

Five people were killed, and five others were seriously injured, when a car mounted the kerb near the Royal Daylesford Hotel on Sunday evening and crashed into patrons sitting in the beer garden.

Pratibha Sharma, her 11-year-old daughter Anvi and partner Jatin Chaugh were killed in the tragedy, as well as 38-year-old Vivek Bhatia and his eldest son.

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Vivek’s wife Ruchi and their youngest son were injured in the crash, as well as another group of diners nearby.

The Royal Daylesford Hotel owners Cameron Stone and Joe Morello. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Pub's staff "extremely distressed"

The pub’s owner Cameron Stone told The Herald Sun his staff had desperately tried to rescue people from the carnage, including performing CPR on the dead and dying patrons.

He said the close-knit team was “devastated” and “struggling to come to grips” with the unthinkable tragedy.

“As community members, we know how deeply we have all been impacted,” he said.

“All the staff at the hotel are extremely distressed and we have counselling on site to assist the team to manage the impact of these events.”

Floral tributes at The Royal Daylesford Hotel. Picture: Brendan Beckett

"We ask everyone to respect all parties at this difficult time"

Mr Stone said he was grateful for the quick response from local emergency crews.

“We’d like to thank the police, the SES, the ambulance services, the CFA and the members of the Daylesford community for their support and assistance,” he said.

“The hotel will be closed until further notice while we assist in the ongoing investigations.

“We ask everyone to respect all parties and their privacy at this difficult time.”

The car that ploughed into The Royal Daylesford Hotel on Sunday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Josie Hayden

"It's such a big loss"

Meanwhile, tributes are flowing for the victims in the days after the tragedy.

A close family friend of Vivek Bhatia told The Herald Sun his wider family was “completely devastated”.

“Vivek was a good person and a really good father,” she said.

“I am with his parents now and it’s such a big loss.”

She said the boy who was killed was full of life and adored by his parents.

“He was really cheeky,” she said.

Vivek Bhatia and his eldest son were killed. His wife Ruchi Bhatia and his youngest son were injured but survived. Picture: Facebook

"We never know when our time is up"

A friend of Pratibha Sharma told The Herald Sun she was a devoted community volunteer, domestic violence advocate, and had worked as a migration agent before becoming a lawyer.

“It is incredibly shocking,” the man said.

“I’m short of words. I can’t really believe this.

“She was so happy, everything was going right for her.

“She loved her family, her career was going well. She had such a promising future.

“Life can be tragic. We never know when our time is up.”

Pratibha Sharma her daughter Anvi and her partner Jatin Chugh were all killed in the beer garden tragedy.

"It's a terrible time for their family"

Gurjit Singh, the secretary of Australian Sikh Support where Ms Sharma volunteered, said Ms Sharma, Jatin and Anvi were all sitting outside the front of the pub when the car smashed into them.

“It’s a terrible time for their family,” he said.

“She was very active with us during Covid-19,” Mr Singh said.

“She would deliver food boxes to people at home in quarantine.”