Residents of a small rural community still reeling from a beer garden accident that killed five people claim the council has ignored safety concerns.
Five members of two young families were killed and an 11-month-old baby was injured when an SUV plowed through a crowded pub beer garden in Daylesford, about a 90-minute drive northwest of Melbourne, last Sunday.
Locals have approached Hepburn Shire Council claiming they ignored safety fears over the location of the beer garden on a lawn near the historic Royal Daylesford Hotel.
Residents are calling for safety bollards to be installed at the site, while some on social media claim safety concerns were made clear to the council years ago.
On Thursday, Victoria’s safety watchdog WorkSafe told Ny Breaking Australia it had not ruled out an investigation into the beer garden’s operation.
Unlike traditional beer gardens, the Royal’s beer garden was not within the boundaries of the pub.
Five members of two young families were killed and an 11-month-old baby was injured when an SUV plowed through a crowded pub beer garden (pictured) – without any barrier between the car and the road – in Daylesford, northwest of Melbourne
Residents are calling for safety bollards to be installed at the site, while some on social media claim safety concerns were made clear to the council years ago
Pictured: An image showing how the horrific beer garden car crash in Daylesford unfolded
“In response to this tragic and devastating incident, WorkSafe is working to provide support to affected employees and first responders and assessing whether further action is necessary,” said Narelle Beer, WorkSafe’s executive director of health and safety.
Concerns from Daylesford locals focused on the exposed location of the beer garden, directly beneath a road leading up a steep hill.
The 66-year-old Mount Macedon man who drove the car that plowed through the beer garden is an insulin-dependent diabetic.
The driver, who has yet to be identified, provided a negative alcohol test at the scene and was released after questioning by detectives.
Hepburn Shire Council chief executive Bradley Thomas confirmed the lawn outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel was council-managed public land.
“Given its central location it is a popular area for picnics, events and outdoor dining, with the area having been used by Royal Daylesford Hotel customers and the community for many years,” he said in a statement to Ny Breaking Australia.
Mr Thomas said additional furniture had been placed on the lawn during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide ‘greater outdoor dining opportunities’.
He said the area was in line with the ‘Victorian Government funding announcements’ and was ‘not unique to Hepburn Shire’.
Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Brian Hood spent days comforting those affected by the tragedy
Mourners lay flowers outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel. The beer garden was placed on the same grassy area as this statue
A BMW SUV mowed down guests dining in the outdoor beer garden, located below a hill near a roundabout
‘The council approved the use of the space for outdoor dining and recently adopted a new outdoor dining and trading policy, which sets out what furniture can be placed along council-owned and managed footpaths, roads and areas ,’ he said.
‘This policy is based on feedback received through a community survey completed by more than 270 traders, residents and visitors.’
Mr Thomas said outdoor dining will remain part of the shire despite last Sunday’s tragedy.
“However, as with any major incident, an investigation and review will be carried out and if recommendations are made, they will be carefully considered,” he said.
At the request of Ny Breaking Australia, the council did not disclose how many complaints it had received from concerned residents.
“The Council has no further comment on this matter given the active investigation by Victoria Police,” the statement ended.
On Thursday, the Royal reopened its doors to guests for the first time since the horrific crash.
In a statement, pub owners Cameron Stone and Joel Morello said they were focused on the health and wellbeing of the entire community.
“We are still in shock and so incredibly saddened by the tragic and horrific incident that occurred outside our hotel on Sunday,” the statement said.
Residents are calling for the installation of security posts on the property, with many taking aim at former Gov. Dan Andrews for the increase in outdoor dining areas.
Mourners have taken to social media to express their frustrations over the council’s decision to allow the beer garden to operate where it previously did.
Some residents claimed the council was made aware of the safety concerns but ignored them
‘During Covid, the government and councils agreed to use car parks and convert them into seating areas. So you’re basically on the road, separated by a nice fence that ensures nothing can get through,” someone responded online.
Another wrote: ‘Of all the intersections this should have one (a safety picket fence). Every Sunday there are a lot of people and motorcycles there for whom the municipality has to be accountable.’
However, others argued that bollards should be installed almost everywhere to protect citizens from wayward motorists.
‘Don’t overcomplicate things, we risk our lives every day we get out of bed. If you don’t feel safe there, don’t sit there,” was one response.
An hour-long candlelight vigil was held on Wednesday in the Anglican Parish of Daylesford, a short walk from where the accident occurred.
Attendees quietly hugged each other as they lined up to place their own candles alongside the five that were lit in honor of victims Pratibha Sharma, her husband Jatin Chugh, and daughter Anvi, Vivek Bhatia and his son Vihaan.