The principal of a Melbourne school where an 11-year-boy died in a crash says students, teachers and parents have been left shattered by the tragedy, but pledged they will recover from it.
Marcus Wicher, principal of Auburn South Primary School in the city’s inner east, today expressed the grief of the school community and thanked emergency services for their response yesterday afternoon.
“We are entirely focused as a school community on the welfare of our students, staff and the broader school community,” he said.
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Wicher said members of the school community were displaying “remarkable” resilience as they came to terms with the tragedy.
“This school community is so wonderful and strong, and together we will get through this,” he said.
“Our focus is now on supporting our school community, our children, families, and staff.
“I request that the media respect our privacy and give us the space to grieve and to navigate this most difficult period.”
School community members have today been leaving flowers near the school fence to pay tribute to the boy who was killed.
Earlier today, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has told how she felt feeling “sick in the stomach” when she heard of the fatal crash.
“When I heard the news yesterday afternoon, parliament was sitting … then you received this news of the accident,” she told Today.
“My stomach just lurched and I think any parent … of a child at a primary school yesterday felt particularly sick.”
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Allan, the mother of a primary school age son, said she understood the impact of the tragedy on the local community.
“But speaking to the principal yesterday, they’re a strong community,” she said.
The premier says the state government today is focusing on supporting the students, families, teachers and staff from the school as well as the first responders who were at the scene.
She pledged they would receive all the counselling and support needed.
“Today is going to be tough, but so will tomorrow,” she said.
“And the weeks and months ahead.
“So we will need to provide that support ongoing for some time.”
The boy died and four other children were injured when a car crashed through the school fence.
The driver – a 40-year-old woman – was arrested at the scene but released overnight pending further inquiries.
She had just collected a child from the school yesterday afternoon and was performing a U-turn when the car went through the fence, hitting a table where five children were seated by the school’s sports field, police said.
Two 11-year-old girls, a 10-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy were all taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Today two of them in the Royal Children’s Hospital are in a serious but stable condition.
The other two in the Monash Medical Centre are in a stable condition.
The driver and her child were not injured.
Allan said the government would await any recommendations by police about improving safety at schools.
“It does again depend on the cause of this tragic accident. We’ll take that advice.”
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