A tragic accident in suburban Melbourne has left two grandparents dead and their young grandson seriously injured after a 91-year-old woman lost control of her car and drove into a group of pedestrians, according to police and multiple local outlets.
The incident occurred around 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, on Coleman Road. Emergency crews responded after reports that three pedestrians had been struck, Victoria Police said in a press release.
A 59-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband, 60, was rushed to a nearby hospital with critical injuries but later died. Their 2-year-old grandson was also taken to the hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.
The driver, a 91-year-old woman, sustained only minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
Police say the elderly driver lost control of her vehicle before hitting the victims, then continued through a fence before finally stopping at a park bench. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and police have not yet interviewed the driver.
The victims have been identified as a married couple, and the child is their grandson, Daily Mail reported.
A nearby resident who witnessed the aftermath described the scene as devastating. She told News 7 that she rushed outside after hearing the crash and saw the man lying on her driveway.
“I saw this gentleman fully clothed on his back, bleeding a little bit from his nose. And very bad, heavy breathing,” she recalled.
“And then later on, we discovered that the little baby had been thrown right over there,” she added, pointing to a grassy area nearby. “He was crying. One of the ladies picked him up, and he just held on to her.”
At a press conference on the day of the crash, Victoria Police Superintendent Justin Goldsmith said the driver was “terribly shaken” and had been taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Authorities are still working to determine whether the driver suffered a medical episode before the accident.
The investigation remains ongoing.
