Greenacre school crash: Woman who drove car into classroom known for community help
A LOOSE water bottle may be to blame for a woman allegedly losing control of her SUV, crushing two eight-year-old schoolboys to death when the car broke through their classroom wall.
NSW
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A LOOSE water bottle may be to blame for a woman allegedly losing control of her SUV, crushing two eight-year-old schoolboys to death when the car broke through their classroom wall.
Police are investigating whether 52-year-old Maha Al-Shennag became distracted after dropping a water bottle on the floor of the Toyota Kluger she was driving in the Banksia Road Public School car park at 10.31am on Tuesday.
Crash investigators will try to determine whether the mother-of-four, was reaching down retrieve the bottle when the tragedy unfolded.
They will also examine data from Al-Shennag’s mobile phone and the mechanical data from the car.
The two boys, close friends in year three, bore the brunt of the 2000kg vehicle, while three other girls were also seriously injured.
Police still had not heard Al-Shennag’s full version of events last night. After speaking to officers at the scene she refused to be formally interviewed while in custody at Bankstown Police Station.
The shell-shocked parents of one of the dead children attempted to find some comfort in numbers yesterday.
Relatives and friends sobbed and embraced one another as they gathered at a home in Greenacre.
Lakemba MP Jihad Dib also arrived to show his respects.
‘She gives a lot of herself to charity’
MAHA Al-Shennag, the woman behind the wheel of a Toyota Kluger which crashed into a classroom at Banksia Street Public School and killed two eight-year-old boys, has spent her life helping others.
According to a neighbour, the widowed mother is very charity minded.
“She’s a darling,” said one neighbour in her Punchbowl apartment block.
“She was so kind to us when we moved in — she bought us food and welcomed us to the street. She’s always so nice to everyone around her.
“I think she’s very religious, and gives a lot of herself to charity.
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“She is always nice to everyone, especially the older people.”
Al-Shennag, whose husband died six months ago, is a well-known member of the Banksia Road Primary School community and keenly involved with her childrens’ education.
While she awaits her court date later this month, the 52-year-old, who has a sticker on her front door imploring for “goodness” while entering and leaving the home, is staying with relatives.