By Brendan Rees
The Lighthouse Christian College in Cranbourne East and the wider community were left devastated last August, after a mother and daughter were tragically killed in a car crash outside the school’s gates.
Teenager Xinyu Yuan, 14 and her mother Ma Li Dai, 44, died on the South Gippsland Highway at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 9 August as they were leaving parent-teacher interviews at the Cranbourne Lighthouse Christian College.
Turning Point church, parents and staff at the school organised a petition to change the speed limit in the wake of the tragedy, gathering more than 3600 signatures.
VicRoads then decided to reduce the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80km/h on the South Gippsland Highway as a temporary measure on Friday 8 September whilst undertaking a safety review of the scene.
The decision came as a great relief to the Casey community with then-Mayor Sam Aziz saying it was “long overdue” and was hopeful that it would mark a change in the safety conditions.
By November, the community’s feedback was instrumental when VicRoads announced they would permanently reduce the speed limit to 80km/h.
City of Casey Mayor Cr Geoff Ablett was relieved VicRoads and the State Government had listened and responded to the community’s calls.
The man accused of killing Ms Dai and her daughter Xinyu appeared at Melbourne Magistrate’s on 24 November.
Thomas Charles Adamson, 26, of Devon Meadows was allegedly intoxicated and disqualified from driving at the time, according to police charge sheets.
Adamson was bailed to appear for committal mention at Melbourne Magistrate’s on 25 January.
