An 11-year-old boy has died and four children have been seriously injured after a woman behind the wheel of a white SUV careered through the fence of a Melbourne primary school on Tuesday afternoon.
Police said the driver was attempting a U-turn after collecting a child from Auburn South Primary School, in Hawthorn East, when she crashed through the fence at around 2.30pm. The child passenger in her car, believed to be a student at the school, was not injured.
Victoria Police Inspector Craig McEvoy said the car entered the school grounds before veering into an outdoor table where five children were sitting during an afternoon recess break.
The 11-year-old boy, Jack Davey, was critically injured and died on the way to hospital. The boy has been remembered as an active and valued member of local sports clubs, including the Titans Junior Basketball Club and the Glen Iris Gladiators Football Club.
Two 11-year-old girls, a 10-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy were also taken to hospital with serious injuries, with two transported to the Royal Children’s Hospital, and two taken to the Monash Medical Centre.
The female driver, a 40-year-old from Hawthorn East, was arrested at the scene and stayed in police custody before being released hours later, pending further inquiries.
Early reports suggested the driver may have experienced a medical episode, but McEvoy said it was too early to determine if such an issue had played a part in the fatal crash.
“These events are always hard … but [are] especially difficult when there are children involved,” he said. “It appears it is a tragic accident.”
Aerial footage of the scene showed a white four-wheel drive inside the school grounds, with damage to the front passenger side.
School students faced confronting scenes
For students and staff at the primary school, as well as those at the neighbouring Auburn High School, the aftermath was described as “confronting”.
The 4WD, which has a green P-plate on the windscreen, came to a stop just metres from a sports field.
McEvoy said police would remain at the scene, collecting evidence, throughout Tuesday evening.
“We’ll be here for as long as we need to be to conduct a thorough investigation,” he said.
He expected the investigation into the circumstances of the crash could take weeks or months.
She said she received a text message from the school alerting families about the incident.
She arrived at the school to find emotional parents hugging their distressed children and supporting each other.
One mother from Auburn South Primary School, Lucy, told radio station 3AW that most of the children were believed to be year five students.
“This is really, every person’s worst nightmare,” she said.
Support from community
Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll asked the Department of Education to be on standby to provide whatever support was needed.
“I’ll be thinking of the whole school community in the days and weeks ahead,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Opposition Leader John Pesutto, the member for Hawthorn, also expressed their condolences.
“Today should’ve been an unremarkable sunny Tuesday for the Auburn South Primary School community,” Allan wrote on X. “Instead, a dark shadow has been cast over our city and state.”
