Dreamworld raft disaster: Thomas Hanson’s mother charged with stealing from his compensation
The mother of a man who desperately tried to save the lives of those killed in the Dreamworld raft disaster has been accused of stealing most of his $179,000 compensation.
Four people were killed when two rafts collided and partially capsized during the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the popular Gold Coast park on October 25, 2016.
Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi from Canberra, and Sydney mother-of-two Cindy Low have died after being thrown from the rafts into a mechanized conveyor belt.
Thomas William Hanson, who has since received an award for bravery, was just 16 at the time and had visited the theme park with his family from Western Australia.
He had boarded the ride just before the tragedy and sprang into action when disaster struck.
Mr Hanson was awarded personal injury damages over the incident, much of which his mother, Michelle Lisa Hanson, is accused of stealing.
Michelle Lisa Hanson (pictured) is accused of stealing most of the compensation her son received after his involvement in the 2016 Dreamworld float disaster
Four people were killed when two rafts collided during the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the popular Gold Coast theme park on October 25, 2016
She was initially charged with fraud in May 2021 before pleading not guilty. That charge has since been changed to stealing.
Her case has now been listed for a seven-day trial at Perth District Court in March next year, with a mention for January. Courier mail reported.
Ms. Hanson’s lawyers have said she plans to fight the charges.
Her son was this week presented with a bravery award as part of the Australian Governor-General’s Group Bravery Citation.
Mr Hanson, now 24, had managed to grab a young baby from the raft in front of him and returned it to his mother who had been queuing.
Kate Goodchild (pictured left) and her brother Luke Dorsett (right) died in the Dream World tragedy
He then jumped into the water to save the victims.
“I expected to just see people swimming in the water after being thrown off the ride… without seeing the things I did,” he told the ABC.
Mr Hanson has undergone years of therapy after the incident and says certain sounds still trigger him.
“There’s still one image… a constant image that keeps popping up,” he said.
One of the victims, Mr Dorsett, also received a bravery award for his actions that day.
“Mr. Dorsett immediately placed his arm over his niece to prevent her from falling from the raft,” the courage quote reads.
‘Sadly, Mr Dorsett himself fell from the raft and tragically died on the spot after being caught during the ride.’
Roozbeh ‘Roozi’ Araghi, 38, (pictured) was killed when Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned in October 2016
Danny Haber was also recognized for his bravery. He was in line for a fun park ride when he heard screaming and ran toward the danger.
He credits a previous 21-year Navy career for his response. “We are trained to run towards the noise instead of running away,” he told AAP.
It was a catastrophic sight that awaited him, with bodies in the water and children screaming.
“We thought we were walking into the safest ride at one of the safest theme parks in the world and it turned out to be the scariest day of our lives,” Haber said.