Cyclist hit by Daniel Andrews’ car demands justice

Cath Andrews says she won’t go into detail on the “traumatic” 2013 crash that almost killed a cyclist on the Mornington Peninsula.

A young man who almost died in a collision with Daniel Andrews’ car has engaged lawyers and is disputing the Premier and his wife’s claims about the circumstances of the crash.

Ryan Meuleman’s legal team last month requested ­access to documents the then teen signed in the aftermath of the January 2013 smash.

Now 24, Ryan says he was warned to never talk about the incident.

Speaking for the first time about the horror crash, Ryan says the Andrews’ car was “speeding” and “seemed to come out of nowhere” when he was struck aged 15 as he rode his bicycle across a road in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula.

But Mr Andrews on Thursday refused to answer 17 questions put to him about the fresh claims.

And the Premier’s wife, Cath Andrews, on Frirday also refused to be drawn on questions about the collision

It follows revelations from the Herald Sun where a witness to the incident disputed the Premier and his wife’s claims about the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Asked about the witnesses evidence on Friday, Mrs Andrews said she didn’t want to speak about the incident.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been involved in an accident like this before,” she said.

Catherine Andrews has refused to answer questions about the incident at an appearance on the campaign trail with her husband. Picture: David Crosling

“It was a terrible thing. It was so traumatic for everyone involved.

“Our kids were really little, like Joseph was only five.

“Daniel has spoken about this, I’ve spoken about this, and I’m going to leave it there.”

Pressed again on the matter, she said: “This really traumatic incident happened 10 years ago so I have no further comment to add.”

Mr Andrews again refused to answer repeated questions on the matter.

On Thursday, Mr Andrews shut down several questions about the incident, following fresh revelations by the Herald Sun.

“I’ve gone to these matters in great detail and I’ve got nothing further to add,” Mr Andrews said.

Asked if he had a message for Ryan Meuleman Mr Andrews said: “As I’ve said to you before, I’ve got into great detail on numerous occasions about an incident that occurred now 10 years ago and I’ve got nothing further to say.”

As he lay on the ground screaming in agony, Ryan claims Mr Andrews and wife Catherine – who said she was driving the car – were “yelling at each other” and were slow in helping him.

Ryan Meuleman after in hospital after the crash.

“I saw the man and the woman looking down at me. I remember that they were standing next to me and looking down with horrific looks on their faces. They did not bend down to assist me,” he said.

Ryan – who suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs, internal bleeding and was left with just 10 per cent of his spleen – has also condemned the then-opposition leader for leaving the scene after calling triple-0.

Mr Andrews has said he needed to take his traumatised children, who were screaming, to their nearby holiday rental home before returning.

Police failed to use breathalysers at the scene and Ryan now says he never gave a police statement to detail his version of events.

Police documents detailing the Andrews’ claims about the circumstances of the crash – which have recently been ­obtained under Freedom of Information by the Meuleman family but cannot be made public – have added to their fury.

The Meulemans have also called for the reports to be publicly released.

Peter and Ryan stand on the spot where Ryan was hit while riding his bike. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Mr Andrews has previously insisted that it was Ryan’s bike that heavily hit their Ford Territory.

“He was moving at speed, he absolutely T-boned the car, hit it at such force he was literally inside the car … he flew up over the car and hit the road,” Mr Andrews said in 2017.

But Ryan says the ­Andrews’ car was travelling too fast for the conditions before the impact, which was about 17m from the intersection where a small bike path meets the road.

“I was riding very slowly because it is difficult to pick up any speed along that stretch,” he said.

“The bike belonged to my sister. It was a girl’s bike … not a racer … I had a helmet on. I also had a backpack on as I was moving some personal things from one house to the other. There was also a mechanic’s bag full of tools that was attached to the back of the bike. This was another reason why I was travelling slowly and not able to pick up any speed.”

The Meulemans have recently engaged high-profile lawyer George Defteros to ­explore their legal options in relation to the incident.

Ryan secured an $80,000 compensation payout from the Transport Accident Commission, to be paid after his 18th birthday. But the family has raised concerns about the process.

Neither he nor his mother Sonia Johnstone, who were dealing with major law firm Slater & Gordon at the time, can recall how the firm had been engaged.

Ryan’s parents had separated prior to the crash, and his dad Peter Meuleman said he had not been privy to compensation negotiations.

Ryan said: “I was basically told that I could go to court (to contest the TAC payment) but that he (Daniel Andrews) is a pretty powerful man … and if I just take this money now then I wouldn’t have to worry about it and would definitely get the money, but once I signed the contract then I would have to keep quiet about it and that’s it, it’s done,” he said.

“I basically had to keep my mouth shut. It sort of scared me into signing straight away and just agreeing with it. It’s something you don’t forget.”

Ms Johnstone said: “It was just … ‘If you do decide to speak then you won’t get the money’.”

Before the crash, Ryan said he had been riding from his father’s house to his mother’s place during the school holidays on a “sandy, gravel footpath”.

“As I came up to the bitumen in Ridley St … I slowed down. I did not come to a complete stop, but I was travelling very slowly,” Ryan said.

“I put my left foot down onto the gravel section and I moved forward slightly so that I could look to my left and to my right once again.

“I had moved forward onto the bitumen when all of a sudden I was struck to my left-hand side by a car that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Daniel Andrews with his wife Catherine who was driving the car.

“Although I did not see where the car had come from, it must have been travelling fast …

“I know that it is about 20m from the stop sign. The car that struck me full-on did not apply brakes. There was no screeching of tyres. I did not see it coming.

“It was a massive loud impact. I remember spinning in the air. I remember hitting the windscreen of the car. I experienced enormous pain and trauma to my body and was thrown some distance away from the car.

“I began to scream in pain … I continued to scream because of the pain that was getting worse and worse …

“I remember that it wasn’t until neighbours came out and my sister had appeared that someone had come to my immediate assistance.

“Someone put a towel above my head to shield me from the sun.”

In 2017, Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) investigated the police’s response, including the failure to deploy a breathalyser in the aftermath of the crash.

Then-Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said the officers who did not breathalyse Mr Andrews’ wife – who had said she was driving the Ford Territory – simply “mucked up” at the busy scene.

IBAC clarified at the time that it was “not investigating the incident or the conduct of the Premier Mr Andrews, or any member of his family”.

Ryan Meuleman said he was struck by a car that “seemed to come out of nowhere”. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Ryan spent 11 days at the Royal Children’s Hospital, before being visited by two uniformed police on the day he arrived home.

He said he was unable to speak to the officers because there had been “tubes removed from my throat”.

“They did not come back at any time thereafter to get a statement from me,” he said.

A recent reassessment of the accident conducted for the family by a traffic engineer asserts that it is “highly unlikely that the cyclist was travelling at high speed”.

Ryan has endured a troubled life since the accident. He ran away from home before a period of substance abuse and depression.

“I have suffered from severe mental health issues, which I believe are as a result of this incident and its aftermath,” he said.

But he is now fighting back, studying a mechanics course at TAFE and helping his dad race cars.

He said he felt he had been “used as a pawn” and has “never been able to tell my side of the story properly”.

“I feel that I never really got any justice,” he added.

Mr Andrews has said that his family had been returning to their Blairgowrie holiday rental after a morning at the beach just after 1pm on January 7, 2013 when his wife made a right turn.

He has described the crash as “one of the most sickening, awful things that I have ever experienced”.

“The sound of him hitting the car, the sound of the children screaming in the back of the car will never leave me or Catherine,” he said in 2017.

THE QUESTIONS DAN WON’T ANSWER

Q: The man involved in the collision with you in 2013 says he has endured a tough life and mental health battles, and he feels that you’ve never shown him enough care and attention. Do you ever wish to speak to him?

A: I’ve canvassed these matters in great detail and I’ve got no further comment to make.

Q: They’ve been no ongoing police investigations into that for some time. Have you never felt the need to check in on him given the extent of the injuries that he suffered as a result of that accident?

A: As I’ve just said, I’ve gone into great detail on numerous occasions and I’ve got nothing further to say about the matter.

Q: Do you have a message for him today if he’s watching this press conference?

A: As I said to you before, I’ve gone into great detail on numerous occasions about an incident that occurred now 10 years ago, and I’ve got nothing further to say.

Q: He was a victim of that incident and this is the first time he’s gone into as much detail as he has. He’s made a lot of claims that seem to be at odds with what you recall of the incident. One thing he said is that he recalls you and Cath yelling at each other. Is that your recollection of the situation?

A: As I said, I’ve gone through the facts of these matters in great detail on numerous occasions and I’ve got nothing further to say.

Q: What do you make of the timing of this story?

A: I can only repeat for you that I have gone to the facts of these matters in great detail, at length, on numerous occasions and I’ve got nothing further to add.

Q: Are you concerned about potential legal action?

A: Again, I’ve gone to great lengths, on multiple occasions - I think you’ve got transcripts of very lengthy press conferences where we went through everything - and I’ve got nothing to add.

Q: Would you urge the cops to release the police statements?

A: I’ve already addressed that issue. That question has been asked previously, and I went to that, and I’ve got nothing further to add.

Q: You have previously said that you would be happy for that information to be released. Is that still your position.

A: I’ve gone to these matters at length.

Q: If there is legal action launched, would you co-operate with any investigation?

A: I can only refer you to my earlier answer.

Q: Is it disappointing to you that this has come back after all these years, to see it on the front page of the paper again?

A: I’ve gone through these matters, the facts of them, many times, and in great detail.

Q: There is potential for legal action. That has changed, that’s fresh since your 2017 media conference.

A: And I’ve got no comment to make on that.

Q: You’ve claimed that his bike was travelling at speed. He’s said in today’s paper that he was riding his sister’s bike and he was on a stretch of path where it was difficult to pick up any speed. Do you stand by your claims that he was moving at speed and absolutely T-boned your car.

A: As I’ve said, I’ve gone to these matters in great detail and I’ve got nothing further to add.

Q: Yesterday (on Wednesday), Cath was on the (campaign) bus with us. Unlike you, she’s not a politician and not answerable to the public in the same way that you are, but there is an issue in today’s news that concerns her. Is there any reason she’s not here today?

A: She was never going to be here today. She’s working today. She’s got a day job. She won’t be on the bus everyday.

Q: Are you worried about the welfare of this man?

A: Again, I’ve got no further comments to make on these matters. I’ve gone through them in great detail on multiple occasions.

Q: If he was willing to sit down with you, would you sit down with him?

A: I’ve answered your question about 15 times and the answer won’t change.

Q: It’s a yes or a no. Will you sit down with him?

A: I have no further comment to make about this matter.

Q: Can you understand that it might seem a little unsympathetic given what he’s been through?

A: I would refer you to the very lengthy transcript of a very long press conference, and not just one - there were many. And I don’t know that you could draw that conclusion if you read that transcript, which is why I’ve got no further comment to make.