Tunnel crews praised

By Sarah Schwager
A CRANBOURNE couple has praised the efforts of police and workers after they were trapped in the Burnley tunnel after the devastating crash that killed three people last Friday.
Cheryl and Brian Nudl were on their way home to Cranbourne West returning from Coburg where they had attended a friend’s funeral.
They had travelled nearly a kilometre into the tunnel when a radio message requested they stop and evacuate their vehicle.
“We could see the traffic slowing down, then we turned the radio on and were told to stop, turn off the engine and evacuate,” Mr Nudl said.
Mr Nudl, in his late 70s, said evacuating was not an option as they had six dogs in the car and could not carry them all.
They had their prized shitsu, its four six-day-old pups and their friend’s dog, which they were caring for as its owner’s husband had just died.
“We were not able to carry all of the dogs out and there was no way my wife was going to leave them,” he said.
Despite being only about 100 metres behind the action, Mr Nudl said trucks blocked the way and so they could not see what had happened.
“Most people had left well before we left our car,” he said.
Luckily, police came along and helped the couple carry the dogs to safety outside the tunnel, where they set the puppies down on a blanket with their mum.
They then waited for four hours while food and water was brought around to them before they could access their car.
“We couldn’t have asked for any more assistance,” Mr Nudl said.
“The police, SES, ambulance and Citylink blokes were all absolutely fantastic.”
Mrs Nudl also praised the efforts of emergency workers.
“They did a wonderful job for the people. I can only praise them,” she said.
Mr Nudl said while his wife was a bit frightened, his own near death experiences had left him very calm and collected during the incident.
“I guess you do think ‘what if we’d left a bit earlier?’ but I guess with age, these things don’t worry you any more.”