Four children have died after they were struck by a four-wheel drive on a footpath in western Sydney, prompting numerous charges against a 29-year-old man.
A fifth child who was also hit by the car suffered serious injuries.
The alleged drink-driver has since been charged with manslaughter and more than a dozen driving offences.
The driver was on arrested on Saturday night after returning a positive result in a roadside breath test and taken for a breath analysis.
He allegedly recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.150—three times over the limit—and has now been charged with four counts of manslaughter as well as dangerous driving occasioning death, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving, drink-driving and other offences.
He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.
Three of the children killed in Saturday night’s incident near Parramatta were siblings and the fourth, aged 11, was their cousin.
Danny Abdallah, the father of the three siblings aged 8, 12, and 13, told reporters on Sunday he was heartbroken.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m numb, probably that’s what I feel at the moment. All I want to say is please, drivers, be careful,” he said.
“These kids were just walking innocently, enjoying each other’s company … and this morning I woke up and I have lost three kids.”
Emergency services were called to Bettington Road in Oatlands before 8pm on Saturday but four of the children died at the scene, police said.
A fifth child, 11, was taken to The Children’s Hospital in Westmead in a critical condition but is now in a serious but stable condition.
Two other girls, aged 10 and 13, suffered minor injuries.
The group of seven children had been travelling on the footpath on their way to buy ice cream when police believe the four-wheel drive mounted the kerb and hit them, The Sunday Telegraph reports.
NSW Ambulance Acting Superintendent Andrew McAlpine on Saturday evening said paramedics had arrived to a horrific scene.
“This is incredibly hard for the emergency services notwithstanding the losses that the families have sustained,” McAlpine told reporters.
“It’s very, very difficult for police, for fire rescue, for paramedics to be confronted with such chaos and carnage.”
Police said the family were at the hospital with relatives.
“They’re obviously very distraught and under these circumstances we can’t provide much information to them at this stage so that’s difficult for them,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Jason Joyce said.
