Woman dies after tree crushes family’s car
A WOMAN is dead and a boy, 4, is fighting for life after ferocious winds brought down a large tree on a family car at Fernshaw, near Healesville, yesterday.
The tragedy happened on the Black Spur section of the Maroondah Highway when the 30m gum tree crashed onto a Toyota sedan carrying a family of four just after 9.30am.
“We saw a very large tree come down on a family car,” State Emergency Service chief officer Tim Wiebusch said.
The woman, a front-seat passenger, died at the scene.
The four-year-old was in a critical condition in the Royal Children’s Hospital last night, while the male driver was stable in The Alfred hospital. A boy, 5, suffered minor injuries.
“Whether the ground was too wet or the winds were a bit strong, it’s brought the massive tree tumbling down,” Healesville CFA captain Graeme Bates said.
“It’s a split-second thing that’s happened right when they were driving past.
“You think if they were just a little bit earlier or later … it’s a horrible thing, a thing of nature.”
Wild, wintry weather swept across the state, ripping off roofs, sending trees plummeting, snapping off the end of the Frankston pier and blanketing Victoria’s alpine region white. The SES received 630 calls for help across the state in 24 hours.
At Melbourne airport, at least 48 domestic flights were cancelled, with strong winds delaying scores more and throwing weekend travel plans into disarray for thousands of passengers.
The end of the Frankston pier washed up on a beach after it snapped off and floated away in rough seas.
In New South Wales, dozens of elderly residents were lucky to be alive after the roof of their aged care home was torn off in damaging winds that also caused chaos at Sydney airport with more than 120 flights cancelled.
About 30 people were evacuated from the Presbyterian Aged Care home at Stockton, in Newcastle, about 10am.
“Everybody is incredibly lucky to be safe and alive … there are no injuries and noone has been killed,” ambulance spokesman Joel De Zuna said.
In South Australia, a woman was plucked from a flooded creek at Mt Barker as thousands of properties remained without power across Adelaide.
The woman, in her 50s, was seen clinging to a tree after she fell into the fast-flowing water while checking stock.
Flood warnings are in place around Melbourne’s outer suburbs, while heavy snow is expected in alpine regions at the weekend and damaging winds up to 100km/h are forecast for Gippsland today.