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Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Harrowing new details revealed of the horrific scene immediately after elderly driver lost control and fatally mowed down two grandparents - as rescuer reveals how toddler survivor's family are struggling to cope
The rescuer who plucked a toddler from a horror crash which killed his grandparents has revealed how the child's parents have been shattered by the tragedy. Full-time carer Tracey Jean, 56, rushed to cradle the two-year-old boy after a 91-year-old woman driver lost control of her Toyota Yaris near a Wantirna South playground in Melbourne 's east. The car mowed down all three from behind as they walked through the park on Thursday afternoon, fatally injuring the elderly Asian-heritage grandparents. She shielded the youngster from seeing his dying grandparents, and has kept in touch with his family as the toddler recovered at the Royal Children's Hospital. 'They are beyond devastated,' she told Daily Mail Australia on Monday. 'They're beautiful people, and they need time to process this, and they just need time to deal with it, if they will ever deal with it - I don't know.' Ms Jean has said she will now remain lifelong friends with the toddler's 'brave' parents and vowed to offer them any help she can as they deal with the aftermath. 'I'm here for them,' she said. 'The very brave parents have allowed me to see the little man, and I did see him yesterday, he's good.' Ms Jean said she reunited with the little boy on Sunday afternoon after he was released from hospital. '[The boy] is very, very connected with his parents, very wrapped in his parents, which is great,' she added. 'I will help them but they need to be left alone for now, until they are ready, and I'm more than happy to speak to whoever for them.' She said the family have just been focused on their loss and what happened to their son rather than the elderly driver of the car which hit them. 'I haven't really heard anything about the driver and to be honest, I've just got those parents and that little boy in my heart,' she added. The vehicle careered 200m along the nature strip, knocking down a street sign and smashing through a fence before it crashed into a park bench just metres from a playground. The grandmother died at the scene, while her husband lost his fight for life in hospital surrounded by loved ones two days later. Ms Jean told Daily Mail Australia she was one of the first people who rushed to the crash scene. Ms Jean said she heard a loud bang shortly after she arrived at her parents' home just before 12.30pm on Thursday. "I was around here when the accident happened on Thursday, I didn't actually see it, I heard a loud bang and came out, the accident had already happened,' Ms Jean told the Daily Mail Australia. 'I walked around the corner to where the car came from and there were two people lying on the ground and a little boy under a tree. 'I just went for the little boy and just tried to comfort him as much as I could because he was only two years old.' Ms Jean said the boy was crying and had grazes on his face but he was standing when she first laid eyes on him. 'He was crying, he had some grazes on his face, but he was actually standing when I saw him, so I just knelt down in front of him, and that's when he wrapped his arms around me and just gave me a cuddle, and then I just held on to him,' she said. Ms Jean said paramedics rushed to help the boy's grandparents before turning their attention to the toddler. 'They didn't actually realise at first that the little boy was in the accident,' she said. 'They were too busy with all the other things going on, yeah, it was a horrible, horrific scene.' Ms Jean showed Daily Mail Australia how the out-of-control car mounted the kerb near her parents' home and crashed into the family who were metres away walking by a neighbouring home. 'The car came onto the footpath along here, I found the little boy under that tree just over there [on a neighbour's property],' Ms Jean said. 'His pusher was scattered around here, and grandma and grandpa went down that way a little bit further.' A floral tribute has been started near the spot where the car struck the family. A young girl stopped to add a flower to the tribute which Ms Jean described as 'beautiful'. Ms Jean previously fought back tears as she revealed harrowing details about the family's pain. 'The (boy's) mum was texting me while she was in the hospital saying goodbye to her dad,' Ms Jean told media. 'She told me that her dad is now with her mum.' Local mother Katie Mahon started a floral tribute in the little park near the bench where the elderly driver's vehicle finally came to a halt. She said it was 'extremely lucky' no one else was killed or seriously injured as the playground was usually full of kids, especially during school holidays. 'Thank goodness she's gone through the fence and stopped at the bench,' Ms Mahon said. 'It's extremely lucky no more people were hurt, this playground is usually packed with 20 kids, as a mum it's very scary.' Ms Mahon said she has lived in the area with her children and toy poodle Murphy for five years and the road where the accident occurred is known by locals as a notorious stretch for hoons, with several accidents over the years. 'My son said to me, "Mum, I don't want to live on that road",' she said. Neighbour Maggie, who described the accident as 'tragic', said her friend regularly saw the victims walking and pushing the toddler around the area but neither she nor various other locals knew them personally. Knox City Council had already repaired the street sign and playground fence since the accident while the Daily Mail Australia witnessed workers remove the crushed bench from the park. Debris including fragments of the car could be seen around the bench prior to its removal. Police are yet to interview the elderly driver, who remains in hospital, and there has so far been no explanation why she lost control of the vehicle. The fatal crash has renewed calls for the Victorian state government to overhaul retesting requirements on elderly drivers. Unlike other states and territories, there is no requirement for medical assessments or tests beyond a certain age. In the wake of the tragedy, Acting Premier Ben Carroll indicated support for more frequent retesting of elderly drivers to ensure they're fit to drive, in line with other states and territories. 'In relation to people who are elderly and driving, I think it is a valid question … around testing,' Carroll told reporters on Friday. 'There are a range of initiatives in place through our general practitioners right around Victoria when it comes to making sure that Victorians continue to get tested for their driver's licence.'
News.com.au
14-07-2025
- News.com.au
Update after 2yo hurt, two people dead after being hit by out-of-control car in Wantirna South
The two-year-old boy who was seriously hurt in a collision that claimed the lives of another two people has been discharged from hospital. The boy was being walked by two people - believed to be the boy's grandparents - on Coleman Rd in Wantirna South at about 12.20pm on Thursday when they were struck by an out-of-control Toyota Yaris. The 91-year-old driver is believed to have lost control of her vehicle, striking the trio before ploughing through a fence and hitting a park bench. The two adults are reportedly the grandparents of the two-year-old boy, as per The Herald Sun. The 59-year-old woman died at the scene. The 60-year-old man - understood to be the woman's partner - was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but died on Saturday night. The two-year-old was rushed to the Royal Children's Hospital in a serious but stable condition. A hospital spokesman confirmed on Monday that the child had been discharged from hospital. Tracey Jean, one of the neighbours who was first on the scene and shielded the child after the crash, told reporters she had been in contact with the child's parents and confirmed he was coming home and appears healthy. 'I'll get to hold him again this afternoon,' she said per The Daily Mail. 'I've got a photo of him and he looks great. He really is OK.' Ms Jean said the child's mother rushed to the hospital to be by her father's side before he died. 'The (boy's) mum was texting me while she was in the hospital saying goodbye to her dad,' Ms Jean said. 'She told me that her dad is now with her mum.' Witness Heather Webber told reporters last week she 'ran straight out' of the house after haring a 'funny, weird sound'. Outside, she discovered the 60-year-old man lying on the footpath. 'There he was, the poor chap, lying on his back,' she said, adding she was 'first one to see the … gentleman on the path'. She recalled the young boy 'clinging' to Ms Jean, who picked him up while Ms Webber's husband called paramedics. Ms Webber told reporters she was 'very disturbed' by the crash and was unable to sleep on Thursday night. The 91-year-old driver remains in hospital with minor injuries. Victoria Police Superintendent Justin Goldsmith said last week the elderly driver was 'terribly shaken' by the incident, and taken to hospital for minor injuries. Superintendent Goldsmith said the incident was 'not believed to be intentional'. Police told NewsWire on Monday the investigation remains ongoing and they are yet to interview the elderly driver, who remains in hospital. It is unclear if the she will be charged.
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Miracle update on the little boy involved in the Wantirna South horror crash that killed his grandparents
The Melbourne toddler seriously injured in a horror crash that claimed the lives of his grandparents has been discharged from hospital. The grandmother, 59, and her husband, 60 were taking the two-year-old for a lunchtime walk when an out-of-control vehicle being driven by a 91-year-old woman mounted the footpath and ploughed into the family from behind in Wantirna South on Thursday. The silver Toyota Yaris then careered another 200 metres into a fence before it crashed into a park bench just metres from a children's playground. The grandmother died at the scene, while her husband lost his fight for life in hospital surrounded by loved ones two days later. One of the first neighbours who rushed to the crash scene has been reunited with the toddler she comforted in the harrowing aftermath. Tracey Jean cradled the injured toddler and shielded him from the trauma from seeing his dying grandparents before he was taken to Royal Children's Hospital. She was reunited with the little boy on Sunday afternoon after he was released from hospital. 'The mum has been in contact with me and was texting all day yesterday,' Ms Jean told reporters. 'I'll get to hold him again this afternoon. 'I've got a photo of him and he looks great. He really is okay.' She fought back tears as she revealed more harrowing details. 'The (boy's) mum was texting me while she was in the hospital saying goodbye to her dad,' Ms Jean said. 'She told me that her dad is now with her mum.' Police are yet to interview the elderly driver, who remains in hospital. Many unanswered questions remain, including why the 91-year-old woman lost control. The fatal crash has renewed calls for the Victorian state government to overhaul retesting requirements on elderly drivers. Unlike other states and territories, there is no requirement for medical assessments or tests beyond a certain age. In the wake of the tragedy, Acting Premier Ben Carroll indicated support for more frequent retesting of elderly drivers to ensure they're fit to drive, in line with other states and territories. 'In relation to people who are elderly and driving, I think it is a valid question … around testing,' Carroll told reporters on Friday. 'There are a range of initiatives in place through our general practitioners right around Victoria when it comes to making sure that Victorians continue to get tested for their driver's licence.'
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Tragedy in Melbourne as out-of-control car smashes into family - killing a woman and leaving a two-year-old boy seriously injured
The elderly driver who lost control of her car and mowed down a family walking along a footpath from behind won't be interviewed until the weekend over the fatal collision that claimed the life of a woman and seriously injured a toddler. A silver Toyota Yaris, driven by the 91-year-old woman, mounted the footpath on Coleman Road in Wantirna South, in Melbourne 's east, shortly before 12.30pm on Thursday. Three members of the same family - a 59-year-old woman, a 60-year-old man, and a two-year-old boy - were walking along the footpath in the same direction as the car when they were struck. The woman died at the scene. The man, believed to be the woman's partner, is fighting for his life in The Alfred Hospital. The boy was rushed to The Royal Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries but is now in a stable condition. Victoria Police are yet to confirm the relationship between the victims. The 'terribly shaken' elderly driver escaped with minor scratches and was taken to hospital for assessment and blood testing. The elderly driver remains in hospital and is not expected to be interviewed by detectives until the the weekend, Victoria Police revealed on Friday. It's understood she collided with a street sign and struck the pedestrians before her car ploughed through a fence and came to a stop near a children's playground. 'It came from behind,' Superintendent Justin Goldsmith told reporters. 'It looks like it has lost control about 40m or 50m before the collision with the people who were walking on the other side of that road. 'No one was hit at the park thankfully.' It's unknown whether the driver will face charges. Supt Goldsmith said it was too early to say whether the driver had suffered a medical episode when she lost control. Crash investigators will examine whether speed was a contributing factor. 'That will be subject to the investigation, but it is a downhill section of road, so if there has been a lack of control to some degree there is a possibility the car would have picked up speed as it's driven further down Coleman Road,' Supt Goldsmith said. It comes after CCTV emerged of an out-of-control car traveling along Coleman Road moments before the collision. The footage also showed a couple pushing a pram along a footpath. It is unclear if the group was the same trio who were hit in the collision. The crash happened during the first week of Victorian school holidays and brought the state's road toll to 14 lives lost in the last seven days. 'We're facing a horrific month for road trauma,' Supt Goldsmith said. 'We've lost so many lives and had so many life-threatening injuries over the course of last week (and it) is completely horrific and unacceptable.' Victoria has recorded a number of deadly crashes involving out-of-control vehicles in recent years. In November, a kindergarten worker and a three-year-old boy was injured when a runaway truck smashed through the gate of Macedon Ranges Montessori Preschool's playground. Two weeks earlier, an 11-year-old boy was killed and four other students injured when an SUV crashed through a fence at Auburn South Primary School in Melbourne's east. Five people were killed and six injured in November 2023 when a diabetic driver passed out behind the wheel and crashed into patrons seated outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel. The driver was charged, but the allegations were ultimately struck out after a magistrate found there was not enough evidence to support a conviction.
The Australian
10-07-2025
- The Australian
Pedestrian dies, two more injured after being hit by car in Melbourne
A pedestrian has died, and two others, including a child, have been hospitalised, after a car lost control and drove through a fence in Melbourne's east. 'It's believed a vehicle has lost control on Coleman Rd around 12.20pm, struck three pedestrians before driving through a fence,' police said in a statement. 'One of the pedestrians has died at the scene.' Ambulance Victoria said one adult has been taken to The Alfred Hospital in a critical condition, and the child is being treated for serious injuries at the Royal Children's Hospital. Police confirmed the driver ofa small Toyota hatchback was not seriously injured but had been taken to hospital as a precaution. A pedestrian has died after being hit by a car. Picture: 9News 'The incident is not believed to be intentional,' police said. The exact circumstances of the crash remain unclear. The heavily damaged car remains in the park appearing to have crashed into a bench. Images of the scene show emergency services erecting a tent opposite a playground, with part of a nearby fence knocked over. A witness said it was a 'horrendous' scene. Picture: 9News Police do not believe the crash was intentional. Picture: NewsWire / Nadir Kinani The driver was not seriously injured. Picture: NewsWire / Nadir Kinani A caller identified as Ann told 3AW about the 'horrendous' scene. 'It's just a suburban street. A car has mounted the footpath … at high speed. There's four ambulances there, police galore, and all the roads are blocked off. It's quite horrendous,' Ann said. 'I did not see it, but a neighbour of mine was there. Then the car took off, down the park near the playground, a person ran off, and that's why the helicopters have been going around. 'The roads are all still blocked off. No one can go down there.' Police are urging anyone with dashcam footage or information to contact Crime Stoppers. Amelia Swan Journalist Amelia Swan joined News Corp as a cadet reporter in 2024. Amelia Swan
