Teen tourist among three killed by horror tree fall in Kallista
A Melbourne husband and wife and their nephew visiting from India were tragically killed when their car was smashed by a falling tree in Kallista. The couple’s young child survived the crash.
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A four-year-old boy has been left an orphan after he survived the accident that claimed the lives of his parents and 16-year-old cousin in the Dandenong Ranges.
Husband and wife Swarnjit Singh Grewal and Amandeep Kaur Grewal were killed when a falling tree crushed their car as they drove through Kallista for a day trip on Sunday afternoon.
Their son Sehaj Singh Grewal was injured but was released from hospital on Monday night to be cared for by family friends.
Ishpreet Singh, 16, who was on holiday from India, also died in the crash.
A woman who was the fifth person in the car survived and was taken to hospital.
Authorities in Australia have been able to notify next of kin and several family members were planning to make the journey from India in the coming days.
Relative Sandeep Singh told the Herald Sun he was in shock at the loss of his sister and brother-in-law.
He said through the aid of an interpreter they were “very loving parents” and “caring people”.
The couple, aged 32 and 34, had last year bought a home in Aintree, in Melbourne’s west.
Mr Singh said his sister worked in aged care and his brother-in-law worked as a truck driver. They both enjoyed tennis and looking after their new property, he said.
He said the couple moved from the Punjab region in 2007 and were enjoying their lives in Melbourne, raising their son.
“It’s a big shock. No one can believe they are gone,” he said.
He said it was unclear what permanent arrangements would be in place for the care of four-year-old Sehaj.
Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy said it was a tragic accident with typical road trauma factors, including drugs, alcohol and speeding, ruled out.
“It’s sad, we go out and ask people to take care, we normally see speed or distraction,” she said.
“On this occasion, it’s none of these things.”
The white vehicle was pushed off the windy road with force in the middle of the forest, prompting police to shut the road for several hours.
According to Melbourne University arborist Greg Moore, heavy rain experienced across the past week could be key to the investigation into why the tall tree fell.
“That (rain) would be one of the things that people would be looking at, I’m sure. There could be other factors as well but that would be one of them,’’ Mr Moore said.
“Trees are getting older, the climate is changing and some of the trees are stressed but you also note that some of these trees fall after heavy rain and when there are strong winds.
‘When you have very wet soil, soil strength diminishes and it’s possible for the tree to fail. The roots literally slip out of the soil.’’
As the climate changes, more trees would become susceptible, he said.
“Clearly Victoria has had a spate of these which is really tragic for everyone concerned.’’
Associate Professor Moore said it was impractical to check every roadside tree across the state but a qualified arborist could identify suspect trees that needed further inspection and risk assessment.
Yarra Ranges mayor Richard Higgins agreed the tree fall was “deeply concerning”, and called the incident a “terrible tragedy”.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to some of these things happening, unfortunately it happened, it’s a very, very tragic accident,” he said.
Mr Higgins said accidents like this “serve as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of the environment in which we live”.
But he said he did not agree with calls from fellow councillor Mike Clarke for increased inspections of trees.
“I think we’ve got our team of specialist arborists that do a very fine job.”
Mr Higgins said the council was working with authorities to determine exactly how the incident happened.
“We understand the tree involved has fallen from the Dandenong Ranges national park, which is managed by Parks Victoria.”
He said he would await the coronial findings to see whether there were recommendations to change the way trees were audited.
“The coroner’s going to be conducting an inquest into that. I’m sure he’ll cover off on that area of it. I think it’s too soon to actually say given that it’s not actually one of our trees.”
Local woman Megz Kertes was at a playground near where the crash happened and the helicopters landed to air lift the two surviving passengers to hospital.
She said when she arrived she heard a haunting long siren, like nothing she had heard before.
“I’d never heard anything like it before and we think it was from the local CFA station,” she said. “It was so sad.
“We heard a number of sirens race by and then a police car drove down to Ferny Creek Reserve, where we were.
“Next, a helicopter landed on the oval just on the other side of the car park.”
Ms Kertes said another helicopter arrived 15 minutes later.
“There were probably about 50 people in the park standing and watching on, it was awful,” she said.
Sherbrooke Rd is one of the most popular tourist routes in the Dandenongs, taking visitors to Burnham Beeches, the Sherbrooke Picnic Ground and Alfred Nicholas Gardens. It connects the community of Kallista to the Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd.
Parks Victoria, which is responsible for the stretch of forest along Sherbrooke Rd, this afternoon confirmed is investigating the fatal incident.
“Our thoughts are with the families of people who died in a tragic accident yesterday in the Yarra Ranges,” Parks Victoria chief Matthew Jackson said.
“We are working with the Yarra Ranges Council and Victoria Police on their investigation.”
The tragedy is the latest in a spate of tree-related deaths in Victoria.
A father and son were killed when a gumtree fell on their car in high winds in July last year in Sherbrooke, which is near Kallista.
Irish nurse Mary Ellen Molloy, 26, died late last year when a tree branch struck the car she was travelling in at South Melbourne.
While academic Allison Milner died when she was struck by a tree in Princes Park last August.
And in August Philippa Eckhardt was just minutes away from dropping off her daughter at primary school near Belgrave when their car was crushed by a falling tree.
Both she and her 10-year-old daughter, Charlotte, escaped with broken bones but Ms Eckhardt said she feared it could have been much worse.
— Additional reporting: Grace McKinnon and Sharon McGowan
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