A triple-zero call made by former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews after he and his wife collided with a cyclist has finally been revealed.
Andrews was state opposition leader when the SUV in which he, his wife and their three children were traveling collided with teenage cyclist Ryan Meuleman near Blairgowrie, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, on January 7, 2013.
Mr Andrews has always maintained that his wife, who was driving, came to a complete stop when the now adult Mr Meuleman stormed into their Ford territory.
In the leaked triple-zero call, obtained by The Herald SunMr Andrews is heard telling the operator: ‘We’ve hit him’.
“We turned right onto Ridley Street and a kid came flying by in the bike lane and we hit him,” he said.
“He’s a teenager…I’d say he’s…he’d be fifteen.”
The operator asked Mr Andrews how many ambulances were needed and if anyone else had called triple zero in relation to the crash.
“Ahhh, I don’t think so…ah, my wife, maybe so,” said Mr. Andrews.
The triple-zero call has been released, revealing what happened after Daniel Andrews’ wife hit teenage cyclist Ryan Meuleman on January 7, 2013.
Ryan Meuleman suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash
The operator then confirmed that another call had been received from nearby 10 Ridley Street, to which Mr Andrews replied: ‘Well, that’s it.’
When emergency services arrived on scene, Ms Andrews was not given a breath test.
Mr Andrews also told police in a statement less than a month after the accident: ‘I want to make it clear: the cyclist hit our vehicle.’
But questions have been raised about the lead-up to the crash and the police’s handling of the situation after a report into the crash, published in September this year, found the investigation was ‘deeply flawed’.
Mr. Andrews said what he shouted ‘terrible conspiracy theories’ following the review by former police assistant commissioner Dr Raymond Shuey, commissioned by Mr Meulemans’ lawyers.
Peter Meuleman, Ryan Meuleman’s father, said the report “sheds a whole new light on what happened to his son.”
Peter said that Dr.’s report Shuey “contradicts the police report of what happened and contradicts Daniel and Catherine Andrews’ version of events.”
“We hope that Victoria Police will reopen the case and investigate the matter thoroughly,” he previously told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
Although Peter said that “a lot of old wounds have largely healed” in the 13 years since the crash, the family felt at the time that they “didn’t really get justice.”
Andrews’ Ford Territory after the crash with Ryan Meuleman
Ryan Meuleman spent 10 days in the hospital and suffered serious injuries from the crash
Following the accident, Mr Meuleman was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries, including a punctured lung, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding.
He lost 90 percent of his spleen. His father said that while many of the other injuries had healed, the most “devastating and long-lasting effect” of the crash was the “mental trauma.”
Mr Andrews has always maintained his wife came to a ‘complete stop’ and ‘turned right from a stop’ just before the teenager crossed the Ford Territory.
In his 36-page review of the research, Dr. Shuey that the evidence did not support Mr. and Mrs. Andrews’ account of what happened.
Police closed the case without laying charges, and officers were later cleared of any wrongdoing by the corruption watchdog for failing to breath test the driver.
Mr Meuleman is suing law firm Slater & Gordon, which represented him after the crash, for allegedly failing to act in his best interests when negotiating $80,000 in damages with the Transport Accident Commission.
Slater & Gordon denies the claims and will defend the proceedings. The trial is scheduled for May 2025.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting any wrongdoing by Mr or Mrs Andrews.