Shreyes Arun is still living with the pain of losing his grandmother after a fatal collision on Evans Road in Lynbrook. By Alison Noonan
THE driver of a car that crashed on notorious Evans Road, killing his mother, has been cleared of blame by the State Coroner.
However, Hampton Park resident Raman Arun said he would forever live with the guilt of his mother’s death after he lost control on the dirt road in Lynbrook and hit a power pole on 26 October, 2004.
Sulochana Ramamurthy, 72, suffered massive internal injuries and died a short time later in hospital.
Coroner Audrey Jamieson found the “poorly maintained” Casey Council road, combined with a lack of warning signs and high speed limit, contributed to the accident.
Ms Jamieson recommended council take urgent steps to improve the safety of the high volume carriageway by improving the road surface, reducing the speed from the default limit of 100km/h and erecting warning signs to alert drivers of the dangers of the unsealed road.
Mr Arun this week spoke to the News of his grief after losing his mother, who had been on holiday in the country less than two weeks before her death.
“She had flown in from India to stay with us for a year and was hardly here for two weeks when she died,” he said.
“I was taking my son to his weekly tennis lesson in Cranbourne South. I had driven down the road several times and was only doing 70km/h at the time.
“The road was pretty corrugated and suddenly the wheel locked about 600 metres from the South Gippsland Highway.
“I didn’t have control, I was just like a passenger in the car.”
Mr Arun said that although he and his young son escaped unharmed, he would take the mental scars of that fateful afternoon to his grave.
“It is always on my conscience. I have to live with the fact that I killed my own mother.
“I feel responsible for her death and that is something I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.
“I was a responsible driver and it happened to me. The same thing could happen to so many other irresponsible drivers,” he said.
The coroner’s report stated that Mr Arun lost control after his car struck a badly corrugated area in the road.
It said the road surface was dry and dusty and appeared not to have been graded at all or was poorly graded at the time of the collision.
The report also ruled out mechanical fault, alcohol and excessive speed as contributing factors to the accident.
Mr Arun said he had mixed emotions about the coroner’s report, claiming his mother may still be alive if the road surface had been fixed.
“I have to take responsibility for my actions but I really feel the road should have been blocked or at least the speed reduced to 50km/h. Had that been the recommended speed my mother would still be alive.
“At least now council might improve the road, which could save somebody else’s life.
“That is the only good thing that may come from my mother’s death,” he said.
Casey councillor Steve Beardon said he had been campaigning since 2002 to have the road closed.
“I have always believed that road was unsafe. It’s a goat track.
“It should never have been allowed to be used as a thoroughfare in that condition,” he said.
Cr Beardon said council made a clear admission of guilt when it blocked a gravel section of Evans Road, between Thompsons Road and the railway crossing, last year.
“Council has blocked one end with big mounds of dirt. However the entire road needs to be closed.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation and I feel for the family involved,” he said.
The News contacted Casey Council for an official comment several times but it failed to respond by the time of print.
