Wantirna South crash: CCTV captures wild moments before car ploughs into family near playground, killing grandmother
A grandfather hit by a car alongside his wife and two-year-old grandson in a horror crash at a Wantirna South park has died.
Victoria
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A grandfather hit by a car alongside his wife and two-year-old grandson at a Wantirna South park has died.
The 60-year-old man had been rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries following the tragic crash on Thursday afternoon, which claimed the life of his 59-year-old partner.
On Saturday night, police reported the man had died from his injuries.
The couple’s two-year-old grandson was also struck but received non-life-threatening injuries.
It is believed the Toyota Yaris lost control before mowing down the trio, driving through a fence and coming to rest against a park bench.
The 91-year-old driver, who only suffered minor injuries, was still yet to be interviewed on Saturday night.
The toddler first told first responders that he’d only seen a “car, car, car” before the trio were struck.
The two-year-old boy was walking with his two grandparents before the group were hit by the elderly driver barrelling down the footpath on Coleman Rd in Wantirna South on Thursday afternoon.
First responder Tracey Jean said she heard a “bang” before running to the fatal crash scene where the injured little boy was standing under a tree.
Ms Dean said the boy had cuts and grazes to his face just metres from his mangled pram.
“I heard a bang and went outside and saw two people on the footpath with people working on them,” she told the Herald Sun on Friday afternoon.
“There was a pusher all broken up, so I thought there had to be a baby here somewhere.
“The little boy was just under the tree, so I went for the little boy. He was okay, he was standing.
“I got down to his level and he just wrapped his arms around my neck and wouldn’t let me go. He just grabbed onto me. I blocked the view from the little boy to the people.”
Ms Dean said she held the injured boy while a policewoman tried to speak with him – all while his grandparents were being assessed metres away.
She said he was “kicking and screaming” as she tried to lower him into the ambulance stretcher.
“He was saying ‘car, car, car’ when he was on my chest. I didn’t get any other word out of him, I asked for his name and he didn’t say anything,” she added.
“I could feel his heart beating on my chest.”
Emergency services rushed to Coleman Rd about 12.20pm on Thursday after the family — Wantirna South locals — were hit from behind by an out-of-control car while walking nearby a children’s playground.
Police say a 91-year-old woman was behind the wheel of a silver Toyota Yaris when she lost control of the vehicle for about 250m as it drove downhill, mounting the footpath and ploughing into the group from behind.
After striking the group, police said the car travelled for another 200m towards a playground before crashing through the fence and into a park bench.
The elderly driver of the car sustained only minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution. Hospital staff assessed her, including taking blood samples.
Superintendent Justin Goldsmith on Thursday said it was too early to tell whether the driver had suffered a medical episode.
He said investigators were probing a large section of the suburban street.
“(The group was) walking in the same direction to which the Yaris was driving; it came from behind,” he said.
“That driver has then continued with some degree of a lack of control down Coleman Rd and has collided with a street sign, and has ended up in a reserve about 200m from the collision scene with those three people.
“It looks like (the vehicle was driving on the footpath for) about 40m or 50m before the collision.”
Conditions were dry at the time of the crash, but the section of the road features chicanes that are intended to slow traffic. Police said it was not yet clear if the driver had struck or attempted to avoid them before mounting the footpath.
Superintendent Goldsmith said the driver, who appeared to have suffered just scratches, was extremely distressed following the tragic incident.
It is unclear whether she will face charges.
“We don’t have enough information to say that it’s a high-speed crash or that speed is a contributing factor at this stage,” he said.
“We haven’t got a lot of detail from the driver … (she’s) obviously terribly shaken.
“Very shaken up emotionally.” Superintendent Goldsmith said Thursday’s fatality brought the number of lives lost on the state’s roads to 14 in just seven days.
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” he said. “And unfortunately we’re facing a horrific month for road trauma.”
“The fact that we’ve lost so many lives … is completely horrific and unacceptable.”
Newly appointed Ambulance Victoria chief executive Jordan Emery described the crash as a “shocking incident”.
“The team have done a remarkable job, but obviously (it’s a) very tragic situation,” he said.
Footage taken from a nearby home showed a couple with a pram walking away from the park around the time of the tragedy.
Federal Labor MP Mary Doyle, whose seat of Aston covers Wantirna South, offered her condolences via social media, writing: “My thoughts are with the families affected and the Wantirna South community.”
The tragedy follows similar incidents at a primary school and kindergarten last year.
Jack Davey, 11, died when a car ploughed into Auburn South Primary School in October.
A month later, mother of two Eleanor Bryant died trying to push children out of the path of an out-of-control truck as it crashed into Macedon Ranges Montessori Pre-School in Riddells Creek.
Originally published as Wantirna South crash: CCTV captures wild moments before car ploughs into family near playground, killing grandmother
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