Young family nearly killed on dangerous road

John Henzel and Peter Burgess are calling on council to upgrade Bessie Creek Road, after Peter''s family was nearly wiped out by a truck. 180067_01 Picture: KYRA GILLESPIE

By Kyra Gillespie

A young family’s brush with death on one of Cardinia’s most notorious roads has sparked outrage from the wider community.

Peter Burgess was driving his kids to kindergarten with his wife when a garbage truck lost control and skidded into the wrong side of the road just before 10am on Friday 20 April.

The truck driver said the condition of the road caused his brakes to lock up, sending the truck into the path of the family car.

To avoid a head-on collision, Mr Burgess swerved his ute down the steep embankment and into a tree.

The large Nissan Navara was almost on its side, propped up by a gum tree.“It all happened in a split second,” the shaken-up driver said.

“The truck came at us so I swerved to miss it. It smashed us on the back door, the same side where the baby was.

“The tree saved us.”

Although the father of two is grateful that no one was seriously injured, he said the lack of phone reception paired with the poor conditions of the road was a deadly combination.

“We’re lucky that no one was injured because there’s no reception out here,” he said.

“We had to go to a nearby neighbour’s house to call emergency services. What if someone was badly injured and nobody was home?

“We would have had to run to get help. That is crucial time when someone is in trouble.”

Mr Burgess is a garbage truck driver himself for Total Waste Solutions.

It was his birthday when the accident happened.

“The fact that we all came out the other side with only bruises is enough of a birthday present for me,” he said.

A nearby neighbour, John Henzen, said he has been asking the council to fix the road for a long time.

“I’ve been fighting to have something done for years,” Mr Henzen said.

“I’ve been here for 30-odd years, so you can only imagine how long I have been pushing for Bessie Creek Road to be sealed.

“I demanded they at least get the road graded back in March before the long weekend, because I told them if something happens over the long weekend I would blame them.

“Even when it’s been graded, five days later it looks like this again.”

Council have responded by saying that the notorious road would be considered for upgrades.

“Council is planning to make a significant investment in Cardinia Shire’s 860-kilometre unsealed road network,” council’s Acting General Manager Assets and Services Andrew Barr said.

“As part of our draft capital works budget for 2018–19, council is proposing putting $20 million towards upgrading a number of unsealed roads across the shire.

“We are now doing investigative works to help us shortlist potential roads for these works. Bessie Creek Road will be on the list for consideration.”

Mr Barr said council is further investigating Fridays’ incident.

“Council has been notified of this accident and our officers will gather information to get a better understanding of its cause,” he said.

“Motorists must always adjust their speed and driving behaviour according to the conditions of the road and in response to road signs.

“This is particularly important on unsealed roads, where conditions can change quickly and unexpectedly.”