In the quiet, leafy streets of Wantirna South, Vicky and her family had begun to build a new life. One stitched together by shared meals, afternoon park visits and the laughter of a two-year-old boy doted on by his grandparents.
Just five months ago, Vicky’s parents left China for Australia. They had only one simple wish: to spend their retirement surrounded by family and in the company of their only grandchild.
Vicky and her husband, Ethan, believe their two-year-old son was saved by his grandparents.Credit: Simon Schluter
But two weeks ago, on July 10, as the grandparents made their usual walk home from the playground at Coleman Road Reserve with the toddler in tow, that dream was torn apart.
A silver Toyota Yaris mounted the footpath along Coleman Road, striking the couple head on as they pushed their grandson’s stroller.
Vicky and her husband, Ethan, both aged 35, who asked that their full names not be used, believe the grandparents’ final act was one of protection, pushing their grandson away from the path of the out-of-control car and taking on the full force of the impact themselves.
Vicky’s 59-year-old mother died at the scene. Her 60-year-old father was rushed to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition. He died two days later from a traumatic brain injury.
After hitting the pedestrians, the silver hatchback crashed into a park bench, knocking it off its footings, at the Coleman Road Reserve playground.Credit: Eddie Jim
Miraculously, their grandson survived. A neighbour had found the boy standing beneath a tree, with scratches on his face, just metres from his grandparents who were lying on the footpath.
Back at home, Vicky began to worry when her family hadn’t returned by their usual time of 2pm. An hour passed. Then two. By 4pm, she retraced their steps towards the park, only to find police at the site of the crash.
There, she was told her mother had died. Her father and son had been taken to separate hospitals.
“It was really hard to describe what I was feeling at the moment,” said Vicky.
“All of a sudden I went blank, so I asked the police if they could take me to see my son and take my husband to see my dad.
“I was just thinking, maybe I will lose both of them ... I [thought to myself] if they are all gone, maybe I will just follow them.”
But when she arrived at the Royal Children’s Hospital, she found her son awake. Stable. Breathing.
That, she says, became her reason to live.
Vicky says the survival of her son has given her the strength to continue living.Credit: Simon Schluter
“I hadn’t planned on having children at first, but my parents always said that after they were gone, they hoped there would still be someone in this world connected to me by blood,” she said.
“Someone who would give me the strength to keep going. I didn’t fully understand what they meant at the time, but now I do. If it weren’t for my son, I don’t think I would have made it through this.
“Because of him, I need to keep going.”
Ethan, who had rushed to The Alfred to see his father-in-law, broke down when he finally reunited with their son.
“The second I saw my kid, I just couldn’t hold my tears any more,” he said. “He had some scratches on [his] face, but he can still run, he can still play.”
The couple is convinced the boy survived because of his grandparents’ final act of love.
“They had the pram in front of them,” Ethan said. “The second they saw the car, they didn’t save themselves. They got my son out of the way.”
Vicky added: “He meant the world to them. They loved every moment they had with him.”
Before retiring, Vicky said both her parents led impressive careers working as engineers in China.
Ethan and Vicky with their two-year-old son who survived the crash.Credit: Simon Schluter
Her mother was a civil engineer who helped design stadiums and large-scale infrastructure projects. “But at home, she was warm, cheerful and full of life,” Vicky said.
Her father, an electromechanical engineer who worked in mining, was a prodigy – starting university before 15 and graduating at 18. “He was kind, humble, and so dependable. He was the kind of husband and father anyone would wish for.”
The two met at work. “Over time, they fell in love. They were inseparable ever since,” Vicky said.
With her parents caring for her son, Vicky had been able to focus on work and was saving for a family trip in August.
“I’m the only child of my parents,” she said, fighting tears. “We are really close … I totally lost the ones who loved me the most in the world.”
Police say the driver of the car, a 91-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries. According to police, she continued driving for nearly 200 metres after the fatal crash, smashing through a playground fence.
She was interviewed on Friday, two weeks after the crash, and released pending further enquiries. Police have not laid any charges.
Tracey Jean cared for the injured two-year-old boy after he and his grandparents were hit by the vehicle.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Vicky believes serious questions must be asked if it’s found the driver suffered a medical episode that caused the fatal crash.
“This was a tragedy that should never have happened,” she said. “The driver was over 90 and still legally behind the wheel – a clear sign that the system failed. Driving is a freedom, yes, but it must come with responsibility and safeguards.”
Vicky hopes the death of her parents will spark urgent reform, including mandatory yearly medical and driving assessments for people aged over 75, and a system to flag high-risk drivers, including anonymous reporting by family members.
Flowers left at the site of the crash in Wantirna South.Credit: Justin McManus
“We’ve lost the people we loved most in this world. If their passing can help protect another family from going through the same heartbreak, then maybe, just maybe, some meaning can come from this pain,” she said.
Following the incident, Acting Premier Ben Carroll said there was a “valid question” regarding whether Victoria should mandate fitness-to-drive tests for older drivers.
NSW, Queensland and Western Australia require drivers aged 75 and older to undergo annual medical assessments. NSW also mandates practical driving assessments every two years for motorists aged 85 and above.
Carroll said the government would consider a review after the Wantirna South crash had been investigated.
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