Boy, 8, is killed in a freak accident on gravel road - as cops launch an investigation
A young boy has died after he was hit by a ute he was believed to have been travelling in with his family.
St John's WA paramedics were called to bushland near Baldock Road and Whitlam Street in Mount Helena, a suburb 35km east of Perth about 4pm on Tuesday.
It's understood the boy fell from the moving ute before he was struck by the vehicle on the gravel road.
The critically injured boy was taken to a nearby home before he was rushed to St John of God Midland Public Hospital under priority conditions.
He was later transferred to Perth Children's Hospital where he died.
It's understood the boy was travelling in the ute with his father and siblings at the time.
'It's obviously subject to a significant investigation,' WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch told reporters on Wednesday.
'It's a terribly sad story, the eight-year-old boy has passed away and we understand he fell from a moving vehicle and has later pronounced deceased.'
The police commissioner added it was too early to say whether the boy's death was suspicious.
'I don't believe so [based on] early indications but let's keep an open mind,' Commissioner Blanch said.
A shocked local recalled seeing police and paramedics at a home across the road in her street.
'I came back into the house because I didn't want to know really what happened, because I don't want to be upset,' she told Perth Now.
Other locals recalled previously seeing a white ute parked and children playing at the property where the injured boy was initially taken to.
WA Premier Roger Cook described the tragedy as 'incredibly traumatic and desperately sad' as he issued a poignant plea to all road users.
'This is a horrible situation, and we read from time to time the experiences of families that lose a loved one, a small child,' he said.
'It's another reminder that we must be extremely cautious with children around vehicles.
'They can be dangerous, even deadly, even in the confines of your own home. Please, everyone, take every care to protect our little ones.'
The WA Police Major Crash unit has launched an investigation into the tragedy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted WA Police for comment.
Mount Helena is surrounded by bushland which consists of gravel and sand tracks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment customer is caught up in machete attack at Melbourne shopping centre as stores plunged into lockdown
A woman filmed the moment a Kmart locked customers inside its store to save customers from a machete attack. A group of five to six teenage boys, armed with machetes, were seen fighting in Caroline Springs Shopping Centre, in Melbourne 's west, about 6.40pm on Friday. A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the boys had fled by the time officers arrived at the scene. CCTV footage showed shoppers and retailers as they scrambled to avoid the armed group. Ari was shopping in Kmart when the attack unfolded. 'We're going into lockdown because someone has a machete,' she told viewers as other customers screamed in the background. Several customers were confused as Kmart locked its doors, fearing one of the machete-wielders was inside the store. An employee explained to Ari the attack had happened '10, 20 minutes ago' and Kmart had been cleared but 'security wants the whole shopping centre shut down'. Kmart workers urged customers to stay inside the locked store but some still chose to duck under the roller shutter. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart for further comment. Several other shoppers affected by the lockdown shared news of the incident as it unfolded. Pictured is an outtake from CCTV footage obtained by Nine News depicting a young male believed to have been involved in the incident on Friday night 'Another machete attack while I was getting my noodle on,' one TikTok user wrote in a video filmed inside the shopping centre as the lockdown announcement played over the loudspeakers. While no injuries were reported, the incident called into question the effectiveness of a ban on the sale of machetes by the Victorian government. The ban followed a clash between suspected rival youth gangs alleged to have been carrying the weapons at Northland shopping centre in Preston on May 25. Footage from inside the popular mall depicted shoppers running for cover as a group of seven males, aged between 15 and 21, squared-off. The following day Premier Jacinta Allan announced her government would bring forward the machete ban until a permanent ban takes effect on September 1. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,' Ms Allan said last Monday. 'I hate these knives, and I will keep introducing as many laws as it takes to get them off our streets, out of our shops and out of our lives.' Investigations into the Caroline Springs incident remain ongoing.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Major update after human remains were found in search for Pheobe Bishop - and the key clues cops have yet to find
Human remains found in the search for Phoebe Bishop have been removed from the site by authorities. Daily Mail Australia can reveal an undertaker collected the remains from the 'unforgiving' area deep within the Good Night Scrub National Park on Saturday night. Dangerous dogs and feral pigs had hampered efforts to recover the body after it was located by authorities at 2.30pm on Friday. Queensland Police remained on the scene on Sunday morning, sweeping the region for any remaining clues over the 17-year-old's tragic death. The area is about an hour from Pheobe's hometown of Gin Gin, near Bundaberg in central Queensland, where she lived with Tanika Bromley and James Wood and is about 9km from where forensics found 'items of interest' last week. The couple have been charged with her murder, along with two counts of interfering with a corpse, and are in police custody. Wide Bay-Burnett Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield revealed on Saturday that police had yet to locate the luggage and phone belonging to Pheobe. Pheobe's distraught mother Kylie Johnson last night thanked Bundaberg Police and the State Emergency Service for their efforts in locating her daughter. 'These guys have literally been on their hands and knees to find our baby and get her home to us. I will honestly never be able to repay them for what they have done for my family and Pheobe,' she said. 'They have worked 24 hour days since Pheobe went missing and they won't stop until she's home'. This comes as family and friends prepare to honour Pheobe's life this evening at a candlelight vigil in Gin Gin from 4pm. The community is encouraged to wear bright colours and butterflies, and bring a candle. A family friend yesterday launched a go fund me in the teenager's memory, with proceeds going to the SES and Y Schools Bundaberg, which Pheobe attended. It has so far raised almost $5,000. Earlier on Friday, Pheobe's older sister, Kaylea, 18, had begged for help finding her sister's body in an impassioned plea outside Bundaberg Magistrates Court after Bromley and Wood's murder charges were heard. She sat in the far corner of the front row, staring straight ahead flanked by friends, family and a court security guard as details of the murder charges against the couple were read out. Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared in person or by video link for the hearing and afterwards Kaylea walked outside to make her heartbreaking statement. 'We just want her home,' she said tearfully through red-rimmed eyes. 'I don't know what to say, if you've got any information about Pheobe or the car, just come forward. 'Three weeks is too long for us as a family. She was loved, she's missed dearly.' It comes as the house where Pheobe lived has been turned into a shrine. A makeshift memorial has appeared at the ramshackle, rubbish-strewn Gin Gin home Pheobe shared with Bromley and Wood. A large pink teddy bear stood guard over the property, surrounded with bouquets of flowers. A poignant message left by one mourner read, 'Pheobe, you grew your wings too early beautiful girl. Now, you will no longer feel pain or heartache. 'You can spread your wings, and know you will be loved.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
AFL legend Damian Monkhorst reveals how he predicted his own heart attack months in advance
Former Collingwood ruckman Damian Monkhorst has opened up about his recent heart attack, revealing how he predicted the coronary event to his partner several months beforehand. Monkhorst, 55, survived a heart attack in early April, which he claims he foresaw due to the mounting stress in his life and other troubling health issues. The 1990 premiership hero who runs his own plumbing business had been grappling with anxiety for months regarding the building industry and the challenging times ahead. Normally a relaxed character, Monkhorst found himself waking up in the early hours of the morning to worry about work matters. Monkhorst was also exercising less, snacking more and experiencing fairly regular headaches and neck pain. 'I predicted this to my missus (Trudi), I said "this stuff is going to give me a heart attack",' Monkhorst told News Corp. 'I had a sore shoulder and neck, which I initially put down to riding my motorbike. I had been getting random headaches for six to 12 months. 'I was looking at the other reasons why I was getting these headaches without looking at the real reasons, which was a build up of blood pressure and my head was pumping.' Monkhorst experienced the heart attack one morning before work. 'I started to feel like I couldn't catch my breath,' he revealed. 'I started sweating, I had a sore shoulder and I felt really uncomfortable in my chest.' 'The pain got so bad that I was dry retching … I ended up on the veranda throwing up, I thought I must have had some sort of bug. 'Again, I was in denial. I finished my coffee, jumped in my LandCruiser and took off for work.' Things got worse for Monkhorst, so he called Trudi and she told him to head straight to hospital. It was a decision that probably saved his life. 'The doctor said how lucky I was,' he said. 'Stupid me, if I hadn't made that call (to Trudi), I was highly likely to go into work and ignore what was going on, or if I still wasn't feeling good, I was just going to drive home.' The former footy star, who had two stents put in by surgeons to fix blockages in his heart, has been told that stress probably caused the vessels to burst. He's now on blood pressure medication, doing rehabilitation and trying to get his weight back to a healthier level. Monkhorst has also resolved not to let his work stress trouble him like it used to. 'I nearly fell over when I jumped on the scales in there (the hospital),' he said of his weight. 'I usually stay at a certain weight, which is just under 150kgs, but in recent times, with the stress and everything else, it was a bit over. 'I'm back under that now, and I have got a long way further to go. I'm not starving myself, it is all about eating well and stopping the snacks.' Monkhorst's heart attack this year came shortly after the death of former Collingwood and Richmond player Andrew Krakouer. Krakouer, who played 137 games between 2001 and 2013, died of a suspected heart attack.
