The community is rallying around a family-of-four torn apart in a horror freeway crash that killed a little girl and left her sister and parents fighting for life.
The couple were travelling with their daughters, two and one, when a semi-trailer carrying grain crashed into their Volkswagen SUV and two other cars just after 2.30pm on Monday.
The older child died at the scene on Melbourne‘s Calder Freeway while the younger was airlifted to Royal Children’s Hospital in a critical condition.
The 35-year-old is in the ICU unit at the Alfred Hospital in a serious but stable condition and the man is in a stable condition.
The child was discharged from hospital on Tuesday evening and is recovering with extended family.
Family and friends rallied to support the family as they face a long road to recovery.
A GoFundMe launched to help the family raised $5,490 dollars within 12 hours after it was set up on Sunday morning.
Matt Livingston is a loving father whose life changed when his semi-trailer careened out of control on Monday
Truck driver Matt Livingston was released from police custody on Tuesday evening pending further enquiries.
His daughter Courtney said she held grave fears for her father’s mental health after the fatal accident, and feared he may take his own life.
The 42-year-old was a passionate driver often posted on social media about how much he loved his job.
The devoted father uploaded an image of his semi-trailer at sunset on Facebook in September – just three months before the accident – with the caption ‘livin’ the dream’.
Truck driver Matt Livingston (pictured) was involved in a crash on a Victorian freeway in which a two-year-old was killed and her parents and sister injured
Mr Livingston often posted images of his truck on social media (pictured)
Mr Livingston’s profile is filled with photos taken from behind the wheel of his truck – most of which include gifs with hearts, comments about his love for truck driving, and endearing messages from friends and family.
Courtney Livingston told the Herald Sun on Tuesday the accident was an ‘absolute tragedy’.
‘I will be surprised if he can survive his own mental health after this,’ she said.
‘A car swerved in front of him as shown on dashcam footage. It’s much more difficult for a fully loaded truck to brake than a normal car.’
Jarrod Bell of Victoria’s State Emergency Service said it was a ‘confronting’ scene to attend.
‘Six vehicles and five people trapped, this is one of the largest and most complex calls I have attended in a decade,’ he said.
‘Any incident involving a child is challenging but when we are dealing with the death of a two-year-old that breaks my heart. This call is something that will sit with us for quite a while.’
Police are investigating several factors around the circumstances of the crash.
A two-year-old girl died. Her sister and parents are in critical condition after a horror smash on a busy freeway (pictured)
Police are investigating several factors around the circumstances of the crash (scene pictured)
‘We are too early in the investigation to come up with those answers – whether there is involvement of excessive speeding or drugs, or anything like that,’ Detective Sergeant Mark Amos said.
‘It is simple physics why this happened and if people don’t show some responsibility and respect it, then this will continue… and other families are going to have the single worst Christmas of their lives.’
A 62-year-old man whose car was also hit is still at Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Dashcam footage captured the catastrophic moment the crash occurred.
Police told Daily Mail Australia the crash was still under investigation, and pleaded for anyone who may have seen it to come forward.
An SES officer said the crash site (pictured) was a ‘confronting’ scene to attend on Monday
Distressing images showed grain and debris strewn across the highway, which was closed when emergency services arrived on the scene.
Onlookers said the wreckage was the worst they had ever seen.
‘Drove past this just after it happened and I felt sick to my stomach. Terrible,’ one woman wrote on Facebook.
Others who were stuck in traffic as a result said they broke down when they saw the tragedy on the news.
Confronting dashcam footage shows the moment the truck ploughs into several vehicles entering a 40km/h roadwork zone.
A car in front of the semi-trailer appears to swerve into the right-side lane, prompting the truck to do the same.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene on the Calder Freeway in Melbourne ‘s north west, just after 2.30pm on Monday
But the truck crashes into the back of a vehicle and a massive multi-car collision follows, ending with the semi-trailer toppling over.
‘This is a catastrophe, this is an absolute disaster,’ Detective Amos said, imploring motorists to slow down.
‘It’s monumentally frustrating to see this sort of stuff… take your time, slow down, look after each other.’
Aerial images showed the large truck on its side with the grain covering much of the road.
Debris from other cars was also strewn across the freeway including a vehicle that was towing a boat.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.