‘A family like any of ours’
Slain Melbourne schoolgirl’s mother and sister fight for their lives.
The mother and sister of a 10-year-old schoolgirl killed in Melbourne’s CBD tragedy were last night fighting for their lives in hospital.
It emerged yesterday that three members of one family were among those struck down by the car allegedly driven by Dimitrious “Jimmy” Gargasoulas which ploughed into pedestrians on Friday afternoon.
The death toll stood at four last night, with police warning it could rise.
A 9-year-old girl and her mum — family of the dead 10-year-old — are in a critical condition in hospital. Loved ones were at their bedside last night.
“Today we found out the identity of this family and realised with a sick feeling in my gut that these little girls were students who we know personally,” a close family friend told the Herald Sun.
Friends have launched a crowdfunding campaign for the family.
“This is a family like any of ours,” a friend said. “The public space where they were so terrorised is a space which belongs to every single one of us. We all feel helpless and hopeless at times like this as there is so little we can do.”
A 25-year-old man, a 32-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were also killed in the rampage.
The latter, a young dad, was struck by the car while taking a lunchtime walk. He leaves behind a baby boy. Nine people were last night in Royal Melbourne Hospital, including three in a critical condition, two serious and four stable.
Among those fighting for their lives was a 3-month-old baby.
Three other people with lifethreatening injuries were in a critical condition at The Alfred Hospital.
Five people were in a stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital.
Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said yesterday they had “grave fears” for those in a critical condition.
“It may be the death toll . . . may still increase beyond four.”
As Australians battle to comprehend the shocking incident, the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s director of emergency medicine praised the dedication of medical staff who treated victims in what he called a “senseless” loss of life.
Eleven people, including three in a critical condition, were rushed to the hospital’s emergency department between 2.15pm and 3.30pm on Friday.
Professor George Braitberg, who heads the busy emergency department, said he was approached by so many doctors and nurses wanting to help, that he had to turn some away.
“Watching it with trained eyes, although it was really busy and looked chaotic, it was absolutely beautifully performed.
“It was almost like an orchestra,” he told theAge.
Bourke St yesterday reopened to the public and a memorial has been set up at the mall, where people are laying flowers and tributes to those killed.
We all feel helpless and hopeless at times like this.