Tree fatally crushes mum
A HORROR tree-fall in high winds has torn a family apart, killing a woman and leaving a young boy fighting for his life in Victoria.
The 30m gum collapsed onto the family car as it travelled on the Black Spur section of the Maroondah Highway at Fernshaw, near Healesville, just after 9.30am yesterday.
A four-year-old boy was last night critical in the Royal Children’s Hospital.
A second boy, 5, suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital but not admitted.
The accident came as treacherous weather — high winds and pounding rain, with snow down to low levels — caused chaos across Victoria, ripping off roofs and sending trees plummeting to the ground. Victoria’s alpine region was blanketed white.
Captain Graeme Bates of the Healesville CFA was among the first responders at the Black Spur tragedy.
“Whether the ground was too wet or the winds were a bit strong, it’s brought the massive tree tumbling down,” Mr Bates said.
The tree, about 30m tall, crushed the Toyota sedan the family were travelling in, Capt Bates said.
The woman, who was in the front passenger seat, died at the scene. The male driver was flown to The Alfred hospital, and was last night said to be in a stable condition.
Stormy seas wreaked havoc along Melbourne’s bayside with a 20m section of the Frankston Pier snapping off in the waves and some of the famous beach boxes left badly damaged.
NSW was also hit by strong and damaging winds which tore off a roof at an aged care home and caused chaos at Sydney Airport.
About 30 people were evacuated from the Presbyterian Aged Care facility at Stockton, in Newcastle, about 10am.
A severe weather warning was in place for large sections of eastern NSW, from the Victorian border up to the Northern Tablelands — including Sydney. More than 180 domestic flights in and out of Sydney Airport had been cancelled by 6pm, with the airport down to a single runway.
The winter blitz also gripped Canberra, where players and spectators felt the chill and snow at the AFL match between GSW and Hawthorn last night.