A time astatine the formation for erstwhile Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his household ended with a cyclist successful infirmary and sparked a ineligible saga that continues connected a decennary later.
Ryan Meuleman was 15-years-old and riding his pushbike connected Victoria's Mornington Peninsula successful January 2013 erstwhile helium suffered extended injuries aft a collision with an SUV driven by Mr Andrews' woman Catherine.
A now-adult Mr Meuleman is suing instrumentality steadfast Slater & Gordon, which helium hired aft the crash, for allegedly failing to enactment successful his champion involvement erstwhile it negotiated an $80,000 compensation colony with the Transport Accident Commission.
Slater & Gordon has adjacent links with the national movement.
Mr Meuleman has been seeking Mr and Mrs Andrews' telephone records arsenic portion of his case, with his lawyers initially requesting 11 years' worthy but paring this down to conscionable the time of the clang aft pushback from Andrews' lawyers.
Mr Andrews had fought against providing adjacent this azygous time of records, but connected Monday helium relented and agreed to manus them over.
What happened?
Mr Andrews called a property league successful 2017, portion sitting Premier, to code questions astir the clang aft a Freedom of Information petition was made by media and subsequently denied.
'There are a batch of rumours flying around, there's a batch of beauteous atrocious worldly being peddled astir the place, and I privation to reply it erstwhile and for all,' Mr Andrews said.
Mr Andrews said helium and his wife, on with their 3 children, were returning to their Mornington Peninsula vacation rental successful Sorrento aft a greeting astatine the beach.
His woman was down the instrumentality of the Ford Territory arsenic it travelled done the coastal municipality of Blairgowrie erstwhile it made a close crook from Melbourne Rd onto Ridley St.
Dan Andrews and his household arrived backmost successful Melbourne airdrome connected Tuesday aft a New Zealand holiday, a time aft they agreed to manus implicit telephone records linked to a 2013 crash
The erstwhile Victorian Premier was successful the rider spot and his woman Catherine was driving erstwhile a collision occurred with a teenage cyclist who is taking his instrumentality steadfast to court, alleging that Slater & Gordon did not enactment successful his champion interests
The Andrews had been driving their Ford Territory SUV to their vacation rental connected the Mornington Peninsula (pictured, with the harm to the windscreen)
A motorcycle way runs parallel to Melbourne Rd, which Mr Andrews said was obscured by trees, and which past cuts crossed Ridley St astir 17 metres from the Melbourne Rd intersection.
He said the car came to a implicit halt astatine the intersection, turned close from a 'stationary position' and was travelling precise slowly.
In her constabulary statement, Ms Andrews said she had 'turned from Melbourne Rd aft coming to a implicit halt [and] conscionable aft we turned into Ridley St our car was struck heavy connected the beforehand driver's broadside by a cyclist who it seems was attempting to transverse Ridley St astatine velocity from the motorcycle path'.
Mr Andrews said the collision betwixt the lad and car smashed the windscreen, sending pieces of solid into the backseat and causing his children to scream.
'He was moving astatine speed, helium perfectly T-boned the car, deed it astatine specified unit helium was virtually wrong the car. That's however overmuch the windscreen was depressed, helium flew up implicit the car and deed the road,' helium said.
Mr Andrews said his woman helped the boy, who asked her to telephone his sister, portion helium called triple 0.
The teen suffered a punctured lung, breached ribs and interior bleeding, and was near with 10 per cent of his spleen. He spent 11 days successful The Royal Children's Hospital.
The past 15-year-old cyclist Ryan Meuleman suffered a punctured lung, breached ribs and mislaid 90 per cent of his spleen (pictured successful infirmary aft the crash)
The intersection wherever the collision happened, with the motorcycle way disposable parallel to Melbourne Rd and crossing Ridley St
Mr Andrews besides changeable down suggestions helium had been down the wheel.
'She [Ms Andrews] was driving, but I privation I had been driving due to the fact that past possibly she'd beryllium spared immoderate of the rather shameful worldly that's been enactment around, and possibly things would beryllium different,' helium said.
Police bungle and differing accounts
The 2 inferior constabulary officers who attended the country did not breathalyse the driver, Ms Andrews, arsenic is modular procedure; some mistakenly assuming the different had done it.
Mr Andrews said 1 of the officers aboriginal apologised to his woman for not conducting the enactment test.
Mr Meuleman was besides not fixed the accidental to marque a connection to constabulary astir the incidental during the investigation, astatine archetypal owed to his terrible injuries and treatment, but it was not followed up later.
In April 2023, an ambulance study surfaced successful the media which was made astatine the clip by paramedics who attended the scene.
It appears to struggle with Mr Andrews relationship their car was travelling precise dilatory and the cyclist had 'T-boned' them.
The 'Patient Care Report' reads: '15YO connected bike. Struck connected L broadside by car travelling 40 to 60kmh … PT onto bonnet, past onto windscreen which cracked connected interaction … thrown onto roadway'.
Pictures released successful 2022 - grainy photocopies of constabulary originals - amusement the SUV's windscreen smashed from a dense interaction connected the driver's side.
Photocopied constabulary originals amusement the SUV's windscreen smashed from a dense interaction connected the driver's side
But they besides amusement harm to the beforehand country bodywork up of the beforehand tyre which the Meulemans importune supports their assertion the Andrews' household drove into Ryan
A fewer months aft the ambulance study surfaced, The Herald Sun published the relationship of a witness, Portsea section and erstwhile caregiver Jane Crittenden, 66, who was driving to sojourn a person and was the archetypal to stumble onto the country successful the aftermath.
In a sworn connection arsenic portion of the existent ineligible proceedings, she said she attended to the lad who was lying successful the roadworthy alternating betwixt screaming and whimpering and got a towel from her car to spot nether his head.
'He [Daniel Andrews]… said to maine that they were returning from the Sailing Club wherever they had been having lunch. I distinctly retrieve him saying these things,' she said successful her connection to the Supreme Court.
'I did not cognize [at that point] who Daniel Andrews was … portion I was attending to the child, Daniel Andrews said to maine words to the effect of "I'm taking my woman and kids home, due to the fact that they are truthful distressed",' she said.
She said the household past drove distant successful the severely damaged car soon aft the constabulary arrived and added that she was ne'er interviewed by officers oregon fixed the accidental to marque a statement.
She said she visited the Andrews' rental location aboriginal that time to archer them she believed the lad was going to beryllium good which prompted Ms Andrews to springiness her a 'big hug'.
Mr and Mrs Andrews defended leaving the clang country aft exigency crews arrived saying they were acrophobic for their young children (the Andrews astatine Melbourne airdrome connected Tuesday)
Ms Andrews defended leaving the country aft exigency services arrived, telling reporters successful 2022 that helium and his woman had been acrophobic for their children.
'I don't cognize if you've ever been progressive successful an mishap similar this before. It was a unspeakable thing, truthful traumatic for everyone involved.'
'Our kids were truly little, similar Joseph was lone five.'
Police closed the lawsuit without pressing charges, and officers were aboriginal cleared of immoderate wrongdoing by the corruption watchdog.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest immoderate wrongdoing by Mr oregon Mrs Andrews.
The tribunal lawsuit and wherefore the Andrews' telephone records are important
Mr Meuleman is suing the instrumentality steadfast helium hired aft the crash, Slater & Gordon.
He claims they did not enactment successful his champion interests erstwhile they accepted an $80,000 colony connection by the Transport Accident Commission for his injuries.
Mr Meuleman recovering successful infirmary aft the clang successful 2013
He alleges that the instrumentality steadfast failed to behaviour a 'full probe into the circumstances' of the clang and that helium was banned from discussing it arsenic portion of the settlement.
Mr Meuleman's lawyer successful 2023 said: 'A determination of who caused the mishap is, amongst different matters, an important question to beryllium decided successful this proceeding.'
The Andrews' telephone records would shed airy connected whether they spoke to anyone different than exigency services aft the accident.
Of peculiar involvement is who Mr Andrews - past an up-and-coming governmental fig - called successful the aftermath of the clang and whether that included his past chief-of-staff Brett Curran, who went connected to beryllium adjunct commissioner of Victoria Police.
Dan Andrews' ex-chief of unit Brett Curran
The tribunal was told the subpoena for documents was initially served successful February requesting astir 11 years of telephone records from the Andrews.
This was reduced, archetypal to six months and aboriginal to 1 month, earlier Mr Meuleman yet sought conscionable the time of the crash.
Mr Meuleman's barrister, James Catlin, said helium had expected Monday's proceeding to beryllium 'fiercely contested', but the Andrews had indicated they would nary longer combat the subpoena astatine 8.05am.
'As of 4pm yesterday they were inactive objecting, it's lone astatine 8am contiguous we get correspondence,' helium said.
Representing the Andrews, Sebastian Campbell told Associate Justice Daly it was due for his clients to initially garbage to manus implicit the documents sought, labelling the subpoena 'oppressive'.
What is adjacent successful the ineligible saga?
The documents agreed upon volition present person to beryllium supplied to Mr Meuleman's lawyers by July 25.
Associate Justice Daly said it was 'abundantly clear' from the grounds that Monday's proceeding was unnecessary, questioning wherefore the Andrews took 2 weeks to corroborate they would consent to the revised subpoena.
She ordered the Andrews wage Mr Meuleman's ineligible costs relating to Monday's hearing.
The justice said it was tenable for the Andrews to initially entity to the subpoena, ordering Mr Meuleman to wage the costs incurred during negotiations up until June 25.
The civilian lawsuit volition instrumentality to tribunal aboriginal this twelvemonth and a proceedings day is acceptable for aboriginal 2025.
Outside tribunal connected Monday, Mr Meuleman's father, Peter, hailed the advancement arsenic 'one measurement successful a agelong battle'.
Mr Meuleman's father, Peter, hailed the advancement arsenic 'one measurement successful a agelong battle'
'It's going to beryllium a agelong roadworthy for america but we're up to the combat and I privation to convey everybody who has supported america and believed successful us,' helium said.
He said his household was trying to stitchery arsenic overmuch grounds arsenic possible, believing the archetypal constabulary probe failed to decently analyse the incident.
'It's taken its toll connected Ryan and we're trying to support him arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin ... yes, it's an costly thrust and we'll pugnacious it retired arsenic agelong arsenic we can,' helium said.
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