Man charged after girl dies in Rosedale buggy rollover tragedy

The mother of a young girl killed in a horror buggy crash in Gippsland is demanding justice after a catch-up between families ended in tragedy.

A young girl has tragically died and another seriously injured after an off-road buggy rolled on a property in Gippsland. Picture: Tony Gough

The mother of a six-year-old girl killed in a horror farm accident is demanding justice after a catch-up between two families ended in tragedy.

Damien and Abbey Gibson were hosting friends at their farm on Denison Rd, Rosedale, on Saturday when an off-road joy ride on a buggy turned fatal.

Olivia Stevens was one of seven children squeezed onto the four-seater vehicle when it rolled before landing on its roof, causing her critical injuries.

She later died in hospital.

Her mother, Yana, said she wants justice over her daughter’s shock death. “The whole family is shattered. I don’t know if we will ever be the same,” she said.

“The house is quiet without her. It will never be the same.

“I want justice”.

Olivia Stevens, 6, with her parents Scott and Yana and her two brothers earlier this year.

Olivia was remembered as a bright and bubbly girl by those who knew her.

Gymnastics coach Regan McDonald said she was a “gorgeous little girl”.

“She was very kind hearted and willing to give everything a go,” Ms McDonald said.

“She had the cutest little laugh and told some really good jokes. It was heartbreaking to hear she didn’t make it.”

Olivia’s devastated parents are well known in the Gippsland region as Ms Stevens is a prominent dental surgeon who owns the Heyfield Family Dental Care practice.

Ms Stevens, who was born in Azerbaijan, was not at work on Monday as she grieved the loss of her only daughter.

Olivia Stevens was killed in a horror buggy accident in Rosedale.

Olivia with her mum Yana.

Police have charged Mr Gibson, 33, with culpable driving, dangerous driving causing death, reckless conduct endangering life and recklessly causing injury in relation to the crash.

Mr Gibson, the managing director of Gippsland fertiliser company Gibson’s Groundspread, faced Sale Magistrates’ court via videolink on Monday.

He remained silent during the brief hearing, wearing a sling on his arm, which was injured during the horrific accident.

Mr Gibson will return to court in January for a committal mention.

Damien Gibson has been charged with culpable driving over the girl’s death.

Mr Gibson fronted court in a sling after being hurt in the crash.

Eight people were allegedly riding on the buggy at the time. Picture: Tony Gough

Grieving friends paid tribute to Olivia. “There are just no words, she was such a beautiful, cheeky girl,” one said.

Olivia’s death came as five people were killed on the state’s roads at the weekend, leading Victoria’s top road safety cop to beg motorists to drive more carefully.

The other fatalities were in Raywood, Cranbourne, ­Spotswood, Eldorado and ­Yellingbo.

“Every one of those lives lost could have been avoided,” Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said of the weekend’s carnage.

He said the Rosedale buggy incident was a “complex investigation with a large number of children involved” that would have a “ripple effect” for years to come.

“All those families are going to be changed forever,” he said.

“Those small communities are going to be affected forever.”

All seven children on the buggy were aged under 10.

A four-year-old girl was treated at the Royal Children’s Hospital for a serious head injury and was released on Sunday evening.

Under current chief health officer restrictions, private visits to homes are not permitted and police are investigating whether the gathering was illegal.

Locals said the Gibson family regularly ride motorcycles around the property but the off-road Polaris buggy was a recent purchase.

Police at the family farm after the tragedy. Picture: Tony Gough

Detective Sergeant Roz Wilson from the Major Collision Investigation Unit said police were investigating why there were so many people on the vehicle.

“It’s quite tragic in a small community to have families involved in such an incident.”

“These vehicles are not toys and can be a lethal weapon.”

“We’re investigating … to identify the circumstances and causation of the collision,” she said.

“We’ll be looking at what safety measures in relation to seatbelts and helmets were put in place, and the manner in which the vehicle was driving.

“We’re still investigating the circumstances as to why so many people were on this vehicle.”

News of the tragedy slowly made its way through the township on Sunday, with businesses back open after the regional lockdown lifted on Friday.

Rosedale gift store owner Sue Coppock said the young child’s death has “hit pretty hard”. “Times are bad enough already. This is just another thing to add on to the sadness of the place,” she said.

Another girl was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. Picture: Tony Gough

Ms Coppock said she would not be surprised if the town raised money for the family of the six-year-old through a fundraising platform.

Jenny, another store owner, said it was a “shocking” incident, especially considering that it involved seven children.

She said that the local paramedics and police attending the scene most likely would have known those injured in the buggy, describing Rosedale as a very “tight-knit community”.

The store owner said the locals would do “whatever they can” for the families involved.

The investigation remains ongoing.

It comes after a young child was flown to hospital after being hit by a car in Melbourne’s southeast on Saturday afternoon.

The child, believed to be a six-year-old boy, was riding his bicycle along Armidale Drive, Pakenham, at about 2pm when he was struck by a car.

The boy sustained serious head injuries and was flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said the boy was in a serious but stable condition.

Nearby resident Jo Keeshan raced to the boy’s aid after hearing cries for help from inside her home.

“I was upstairs in the bedroom when all of a sudden I heard ‘help me! help me!,’” she said.

A young boy has been flown to hospital after being hit by a car in Pakenham.

“The driver was trying to ring triple-0 but he was absolutely hysterical, so I grabbed the phone off him … the little boy was lying on the road unconscious when I got there.”

Ms Keeshan said she comforted the boy and the driver as police rushed to the scene.

It took authorities only five minutes to arrive after the call for help was made.

“I grabbed a blanket for the boy and made sure there wasn’t any broken bones,” she said.

“I was just comforting him and said to him ‘you are going to be OK sweetheart’.

“I gave the driver a glass of water as he was in shock, absolute shock.”

The boy was not wearing a helmet when he was hit by the driver.

The whole experience, Ms Keeshan added, was “absolute chaos” and had left her visibly shaken.

“When you’ve got children and see a little body lying on the road it isn’t a pretty sight,” she said.

“The boy was so tiny and still had all his baby teeth.”

— Additional reporting: Miles Proust