An independent review conducted on the accident involving the car of former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and a teenage cyclist revealed that the police covered up the incident to avoid implicating the government official.
The accident occurred in January 2013 in Blairgowrie. Ryan Meuleman, who was riding a bike, was rushed to the hospital after he collided with the Andrews family’s SUV.
Records indicated that Catherine Andrews, the former premier’s wife, was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.
She and her husband claimed that the vehicle came to a complete stop before turning right.
However, a new investigation revealed that the vehicle was traveling at a high speed and had cut a corner before colliding with the bike.
Dr. Raymond Shuey, who was the former assistant commissioner for operations and traffic in the state, conducted a 36-page review of the incident.
He found that the claims made by the Andrews family were implausible and improbable. He also criticized the police investigation as deeply flawed.
According to Dr. Shuey, the police report indicated that Catherine Kesik was driving the vehicle.
He noted that the police failed to identify the political figure involved in the accident as the driver of the vehicle due to the lack of proper records.
He also criticized the police for their failure to investigate the incident properly. He additionally accused the former premier of orchestrating a cover-up to blame the cyclist for the accident.
Based on the information collected by the investigators, Dr. Shuey’s review concluded that the accident was not caused by a low-speed crash.
Instead, it was caused by the cyclist’s sudden and unexpected movement. According to the review, the cyclist’s sudden and unexpected movement could have caused him to lose control of his bike and hit the vehicle.
According to Catherine and Daniel Andrews, the vehicle was only 27 meters from a stationary start when the accident occurred.
If the vehicle was moving at a speed that was not exceeded, it would have not caused the damage.
Low-speed impacts can cause cyclists and pedestrians to move forward.
According to Dr. Shuey, the impact from the collision was so severe that it sent the cyclist flying onto the bonnet and into the roadway.
He also noted that the vehicle’s impact speed was probably higher than 40 kilometers per hour.
According to the review, the vehicle’s forward momentum carried the cyclist over 5.7 meters.
It was not a slow-speed crash, as the main factor that caused the accident was the vehicle’s speed.
Dr. Shuey was hired by the Meuleman family’s lawyers to conduct the review. They are suing Gordon and Slater for breaching their duty of care.
The law firm, which is allied with the Labor movement, has denied the claims and will defend the case. The Supreme Court hearing is scheduled to start in May 2025.
