Couple’s fears after cement truck crash

By Tania Martin
A COCKATOO couple fear for their lives after a cement truck smashed through their yard and narrowly missed killing them.
Kathy and Brian Lang said this crash is the latest in a series of similar incidents and that they can’t sleep at night because they are afraid they will be killed if there is another crash.
The latest incident took place shortly after 10am on Monday 12 May when a cement truck ran off Bailey Road, Cockatoo, and ended up in the Langs’ back yard.
Police say the truck had a mechanical failure.
The Langs had just woken up after having a lie in.
They said the truck knocked over a tree and rolled towards their house.
But luck was on the Langs’ side as the truck stopped mere centimetres from the house.
Mr Lang believes the truck’s momentum was stopped after it hit some wire he had tied to a couple of trees.
“We were told if it hadn’t rolled it would have crashed right through the house, killing us,” he said.
Mrs Lang said the crash sounded like a gas explosion.
“It was so loud and the whole place just shook,” she said.
The Langs rushed outside and saw the truck which disintegrated during the crash.
Mr Lang said he was afraid to look inside the truck for fear of what he might see.
“I thought the driver had to be dead but I heard a small female voice call out.”
Mr Lang then went to assist the driver and pulled her from wreckage.
“There was so much blood – she was just covered in blood,” he said.
The accident demolished the Langs’ fence and damage several trees that offered protection from the road.
Mr Lang said he was furious that the council had later removed the damaged trees and even took the stumps which may have provided a barrier from future crashes.
“Now we have nothing protecting us,” he said.
“They could have left the stumps behind to offer some protection.”
Mr Lang has since approached the Shire of Cardinia calling for some sort of barrier to be erected but has received little response.
He said the least the council could do would be to install a barrier along that section of the road.
But Mr Lang said the council didn’t seem to care. This is not the first time that the Langs have called for the council to put up some sort of protection.
“We have had three cars through here and I first asked council to do something 15 years ago but still we have nothing,” Mr Lang said.
“They just couldn’t care.”
Shire spokesman Paul Dunlop said that the council was taking the issue seriously and looking at a range of options to improve safety for motorists and residents in the area.
Mr Dunlop said a traffic safety assessment was currently being undertaken to establish the best solution to the issue.
Depending on outcomes of the assessment, he said that the council would consider a number of measures to improve road safety in the area. “The council is committed to ensuring all our residents are safe and secure in their homes and on the roads,” Mr Dunlop said.