Nine People Injured As Car Ploughs Into Pedestrians
The Age
Wednesday January 7, 2009
TWO four-year-old girls were among nine people injured when a car ploughed into a group of pedestrians in coastal Lorne yesterday.
The two girls, believed to be sisters, were walking near a car park on Mountjoy Parade with at least six other people at about 4pm, when a car driven by a 62-year-old NSW man veered on to the footpath.The car then rolled down an embankment, before crashing on top of two parked cars.The four-year-olds were flown by air ambulance to the Royal Children's Hospital. One sustained a fractured leg, while the other suffered spinal injuries and was last night in a critical condition.A woman in her 20s, believed to be the girls' mother, also suffered a fractured leg in the accident. Last night she was in a stable condition in the Royal Melbourne Hospital. A third child was taken to Geelong hospital with a possible fractured ankle.Another child, an adult pedestrian and the driver and his two passengers suffered minor injuries. Five people were expected to be treated at Geelong Hospital last night.It is believed the 62-year-old was driving at a low speed when the accident occurred in the town centre of Lorne, on the south-west coast. Mountjoy Parade is part of the Great Ocean Road.Police said they did not believe alcohol or speed had contributed to the accident.Photographer Darren Apps, who witnessed the aftermath of the smash, said it appeared the car had failed to take a corner before hitting the pedestrians, who were believed to be from two families.Staff of businesses close to the scene were reluctant to talk in detail about the accident but one man described the situation as "nasty".Darren, a cafe worker, told Channel Nine: "A car has run off the road, across a nature strip and into a car park at a resort, and in doing so has taken a few pedestrians with him."Police were last night continuing their investigations and will conduct further inquiries today. -- With MEX COOPER
© 2009 The Age