Father of cyclist injured in crash involving former premier Daniel Andrews speaks out

The father of a cyclist injured in a car crash involving Daniel Andrews has urged the former premier to do the right thing and “be honest” after the release of his “chilling” triple-0 call.

The father of a cyclist at the centre of the infamous car accident involving Daniel Andrews has urged the former premier “to do the right thing” and “be honest” following the release of the bombshell triple-0 call.

The audio, which was released on Friday, captures Mr Andrews telling emergency services “we’ve hit him”, which contradicts a police statement he made a month after the January 2013 crash in which he said “the cyclist hit our vehicle”.

Peter Meuleman returned to the Blairgowrie scene on Saturday morning, where his son, Ryan, was injured more than 10 years ago while riding his bike.

Mr Meuleman said the audio, which he described as “chilling” to listen to, painted a “clearer picture” of what happened that fateful day.

Mr Andrews and his wife Catherine, who was driving at the time, have consistently held that Ryan was at fault, with Mr Andrews telling reporters in 2017 that the 15-year-old was “moving at speed” when he “absolutely T-boned the car”.

And in his statement to police signed in February 2013 at Springvale police station, Mr Andrews said “I want to make it clear — the cyclist hit our vehicle”.

Peter Meuleman returned to the Blairgowrie crash scene on Saturday. Picture: Ian Currie

When asked what his message was to the Andrews family following the release of the audio, Mr Meuleman said: “I think just do the right thing and be honest.”

Mr Meuleman said he believed the audio “vindicates” his son’s version of events.

“I’m really glad the triple-0 call is out there,” he said.

“This was a public incident that happened on public roads and I think all of Australia deserves to be able to hear that triple-0 call and make their own assessment on what happened.”

From here, Mr Meuleman said he wants “justice for his son” so they can “move forward as a family and rebuild his life”.

The Herald Sun has the audio of the call that Mr Andrews made following the collision on January 7, 2013, which is at the centre of a legal battle involving the Meulemans, who are suing Slater & Gordon over the way it handled Ryan’s compensation claim.

The audio raises further questions about the accident that has dogged the former premier for more than a decade, with the Herald Sun the first to expose the story.

Mr Meuleman believes the audio vindicates his son’s version of events. Picture: Ian Currie

In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, Mr Andrews and his wife stood by their version of events, saying they did “nothing wrong”.

“The recording confirms the previous statements we’ve made on this matter. The cyclist came flying through from the bike path at Ridley St and T-boned our car at speed,” the statement reads.

“This matter has been comprehensively investigated over many years by Victoria Police Professional Standards Command and IBAC. Furthermore, the cyclist’s current legal proceedings have nothing to do with us. We are not a party to them.

“While we are sorry that the cyclist was injured in the accident, we did nothing wrong.”

Former premier Daniel Andrews and his wife Catherine say they have done nothing wrong. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

In the call on January 7, 2013, Mr Andrews, who was opposition leader at the time, describes the accident.

“We’ve turned right into Ridley St and a kid’s come flying through on the bike path and we’ve hit him,” Mr Andrews says.

“He’s a teenager. I’d say he’d be … 15.”

The operator asked how many people needed an ambulance and asked where the teenager was and who was with him.

“I’m just about 10m away, trying to get a mobile phone signal,” he said.

“My wife is with him at the moment.”

The operator also asked if anyone else had called an ambulance.

“Was someone else on the phone to the ambulance, maybe?” the operator said.

Mr Andrews replied: “Ahhh, I don’t think so … ahh, my wife, my wife might be.”

The operator added: “No worries. We’ve just had a job pop in from Ridley St, Blairgowrie, for a similar thing, for a bike vs car.”

Mr Andrews said: “Well, that’s the one.”

Ryan Meuleman after the crash.

He spent 10 days in hospital recovering.

Ryan spent 10 days in hospital as he recovered from broken ribs and a punctured lung after being flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Mrs Andrews was not breath tested and there were questions on how the police handled the incident at Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr Andrews drove the car away from the scene.

The long-serving premier hit out at what he claimed were “appalling conspiracy theories” in September following reports that the investigation into the crash was “deeply flawed”.

The Andrews’ Ford Territory after the 2013 crash. Picture: Supplied

Mr Meuleman has called on Victoria Police to reopen its investigation, adding it was “disturbing” to hear the audio.

“It’s really quite a chilling piece of audio,” he previously told the Herald Sun.

“It makes you relive it again and again. Each time I hear it, I picture my son going through it and imagining him lying on the road.”

He added: “The case is about enabling my son to move forward with his life.

“I care about vindication for my son and getting justice for my son.

“He hasn’t been capable of holding down a job. That’s the mental scarring that is the legacy of this accident.”

Originally published as Father of cyclist injured in crash involving former premier Daniel Andrews speaks out