Witness to Blairgowrie crash claims Andrews said after the accident his family had been lunching at a ‘sailing club’

Daniel Andrews has shut down questions over whether he was lunching at a Mornington Peninsula sailing club before a 2013 car crash with a teen cyclist, as the claims are referred to IBAC.

Daniel Andrews has refused to confirm where he was prior to a now infamous 2013 car crash that left a teenage cyclist severely injured, as contradicting stories see the matter referred to IBAC.

The Premier on Sunday was asked three times where he was before the nasty Mornington Peninsula crash.

But instead of confirming a previous statement in which he said he had been at the beach with his family, he refused to answer questions.

“I have spoken about this extensively. I have nothing further to add,” Mr Andrews said.

“I’ve done plenty of press conferences on this and gone through it at great length, and I have nothing to add, nothing whatsoever.”

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed a witness had claimed that Daniel and Catherine Andrews lunched at a Mornington Peninsula sailing club prior to the crash – and that the claim had been referred to the state’s anti-corruption commission.

The Premier’s phone records from the day of the smash and a recording of his triple-0 emergency call are also being subpoenaed as part of a Supreme Court damages action, it can be revealed.

A witness to the near fatal Blairgowrie collision says Mr Andrews told her in the frantic moments after the accident that his family “had been having lunch” at the “sailing club”.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews with his wife Catherine. Picture: David Crosling

Mr Andrews and his wife have always said they were returning to their holiday rental after a morning at “the beach” when their Ford Territory collided with bike rider Ryan Meuleman.

“We had three little kids in the car … we’d been at the beach,” the Premier has previously said.

But in a sworn statement as part of Supreme Court proceedings against major law firm Slater & Gordon, Jane Crittenden, 66, states: “He (Daniel Andrews) … said to me that they were returning from the Sailing Club where they had been having lunch. I distinctly remember him saying these things.”

Ms Crittenden – a Portsea local, who was first on the crash scene – raised several issues surrounding the aftermath of the accident, which she felt were unusual.

After turning into Ridley St and seeing a child lying on the road, the former nurse said she went into “rescue mode”.

“The child appeared to be clearly distressed and suffering from internal injuries. I ran back to my vehicle and got a towel and put it under his head, so he was not lying with his head on the boiling hot asphalt,” she said.

“At the time, I did not know who Daniel Andrews was … while I was attending to the child, Daniel Andrews said to me words to the effect of “I’m taking my wife and kids home, because they are so distressed …

“I remember I was trying to keep the child calm by repeating to him, ‘It will be all right’.”

Ms Crittenden said the Andrews family left the horror scene moments after police got there.

“Shortly after they (police) arrived, Daniel Andrews was allowed to drive the vehicle involved in the crash away from the scene, with his wife and children in it. I remember thinking at the time that this was strange. The police seemed to be concerned for Daniel Andrews. In hindsight, I feel this was wrong.”

Victoria Police has previously acknowledged that officers failed in their duties by not conducting a breath test on driver Catherine Andrews.

Ms Crittenden also flagged other potential police breaches.

“The police did not tape off the crash scene. The police did not help me care for the child, “she said.

“The police never formally spoke to me then, or afterwards. The police have never interviewed me in relation to the crash and the police didn’t ask me for my contact details at the scene on that day. Police have never asked me to make a formal statement.”

Of Catherine Andrews, Ms Crittenden said: “I have a recollection of her sitting in the vehicle at the time that I was attending to the child. She was sitting in the front passenger seat.”

Premier Daniel Andrews’ Ford territory car after the 2013 crash with cyclist Ryan Meuleman. Picture: Supplied

Slater & Gordon, which acted for Ryan in the aftermath of the crash, is accused of failing to conduct “a full and proper investigation into the circumstances” of the accident and breaching their duty of care and obligations to him when negotiating his $80,000 Transport Accident Commission compensation payout.

Slater & Gordon denies the claims and says it will defend the proceedings.

Shadow police minister Brad Battin has written to Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission seeking a full investigation into the crash.

“The evidence for this accident has never been properly collected or tested,” Mr Battin, a former police officer, told IBAC.

“At no stage have we seen the sorts of findings that would allow this case to be closed.

“There are a number of particular aspects of the incident that must be investigated in order to give the Victorian public confidence that the proper processes were followed and crucially, that no favourable treatment occurred which may have provided protection to any person, or persons”.

Mr Battin said “the stories given by Mr and Mrs Andrews” did not match “the evidence that has been hidden from the Victorian people for many years since the crash”.

On Sunday Mr Battin tried to debunk the Premier’s version of events using engineer-designed modelling.

Industrial engineer and consultant to the Meuleman family’s legal team Colin Roberston said there were “so many problems and inconsistencies” with the Andrews’ account.

In a bizarre press conference, the engineer presented a cardboard model of Ridley St – where the crash occurred – adjusting miniature cars and a plastic bike with wooden manikin to detail his calculations.

“We think the Andrews cut the corner,” he said.

“There’s tyre marks into Ridley St so it’s something that’s regularly done.”

Mr Andrews has said his wife came to a complete stop before turning into the street.

But Mr Roberston noted an Ambulance Victoria report said the car was travelling at 40 to 60km/h at impact.

“At 80km/hour (in Melbourne Rd), they’ve slowed slightly and they’ve cut the corner into Ridley St. This explains why Ryan didn’t see them and they didn’t see Ryan,” Mr Roberston said.

Mr Battin said: “Victorians need to know what happened. If you now can’t stand by your story, that’s a big issue.”

Originally published as Witness to Blairgowrie crash claims Andrews said after the accident his family had been lunching at a ‘sailing club’