Incredible reaction after boy’s tragic death in Melbourne school crash

A close Melbourne family friend who lost his son in Tuesday’s school tragedy has shared devastating details after the unthinkable incident which left 11-year-old Jack Davey dead and four other students seriously injured.

Jack, a Year 5 student at Auburn South Primary School in Melbourne’s east, suffered life-threatening injuries when a car drove through the school fence on Tuesday and died on the way to hospital. School mum and family friend Lucy Pristel told Yahoo News the shocking incident had “affected” the entire “close-knit” community.

To support the Davis family, Lucy, along with some other school moms, decided to start a GoFundMe to help “ease the burden” of funeral costs. “We just wanted to make life as easy as possible,” she said. In just a few hours, they have already raised almost $40,000. “It’s just phenomenal,” Lucy said.

Lucy’s 11-year-old son is also at school and played basketball with Jack. He witnessed the tragedy that unfolded before his eyes. The driver, a 40-year-old woman, had just picked up her child from school and was allegedly attempting to make a U-turn when the crash occurred.

“Unfortunately, a lot of kids saw what happened,” she said. “It affected everyone.

“The school offered us all advisors, so we had a lot of support. We’re a close-knit community.” She described the Davises as “the most beautiful family.”

Family was ‘truly incredible’ after son’s death

Despite losing their son, Jack’s parents were “truly incredible,” Lucy said on Wednesday. “Jade, Jack’s mother, wrote to us asking if (our children) were okay. I think it gives an idea of ​​how beautiful their family is,” she told Yahoo.

Lucy recalled the moment she learned of the horror, which happened around 2.30pm on Tuesday. She said she didn’t realize the extent of what had happened at first.

“I actually drove past the school after it happened and didn’t think much about it,” she admitted. “Then I started hearing about it.

“I ran to school… parents could be seen at least 300-400 meters away, and I saw everyone hugging. That’s when I realized something had happened at our school (and not at one of the other schools nearby).”

Since then, “everyone has just come together,” she said, sharing the “pure horror” everyone is feeling.

Two 11-year-old girls, a 10-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy remain in hospital with serious injuries. It is understood that they were sitting at the table with Jack when they were hit by a car.

Auburn South Principal Marcus Whicher said there had been remarkable courage shown since the crash and the focus was now on the ongoing well-being of staff and students.

“This school community is so wonderful and strong, together we will get through this,” Whicher told reporters.

The response from the local community has been overwhelming, he said, thanking everyone who has reached out with generous offers of support.

“I want to thank and express my gratitude to my wonderful staff and those parents who helped yesterday, including making sure our children were comfortable. The courage and care can only be described as remarkable.”

with NCA Newswire and AAP

Do you have a story tip? E-mail: [email protected].

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter And YouTube.