Details of Daniel Andrews’ car crash, which left a teenage cyclist seriously injured, were covered up by police to “avoid implicating a political figure”, according to an explosive analysis.
Ryan Meuleman was 15 and riding his bicycle in Blairgowrie on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula when he was hit by the Andrews family’s SUV on 7 January 2013.
Mr Meuleman was airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries including a punctured lung, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding.
The former prime minister insisted his wife came to a complete stop and turned right from a stationary position moments before Meuleman collided broadside with the Ford Territory.
Police closed the case without filing charges and the officers were later cleared of any wrongdoing by the anti-corruption watchdog.
But more than a decade later, an explosive review of the crash found the police investigation supporting Andrews’ version of events was “deeply flawed.”
The 36-page assessment, conducted by former state Deputy Traffic and Operations Commissioner Dr. Raymond Shuey, stated the pickup truck struck the teen after “traveling at a high rate of speed” and on the wrong side of the road.
‘Daniel and Catherine Andrews’ statements that their vehicle stopped on Melbourne Rd are not consistent with the aftermath of the impact, nor is (witness) Brad Morgan’s report of tyres screeching prior to impact.
Ryan Meuleman was 15 and riding his bicycle in Blairgowrie on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula when he was hit by the Andrews’ SUV on January 7, 2013.
‘The vehicle’s effective braking distance of 19.2 m after impact is indicative of a speed of 45 km/h before impact.
“The version provided by Catherine and Daniel Andrews is considered improbable and implausible. The truth is still pending,” Dr. Shuey wrote.
‘The vehicle most likely made a turn at high speed, cutting the corner and still on the wrong side of the road on Ridley Street, 27 metres from Melbourne Road when the collision occurred.’
The report, commissioned by Meuleman’s lawyers as part of ongoing damages proceedings before the High Court following the crash, found that the “spreading of a lie” began when police recorded the driver’s name.
In a Traffic Incident System (TIS) report made by police hours after the crash, the driver’s name was given as ‘Catherine Louie Kesik’, Ms Andrews’ maiden name.
The report found the name was contrary to that recorded in inquest notes, statements in TAC reports and “contemporaneous notes” made by police.
He said the “irregularity” with Ms Andrews’ name would be “something of a head-scratcher” to supervisors, insurance companies and legal reviewers.
“In my view, this deception is part of a course of action and a component of an overt cover-up to avoid implicating a political figure in a potentially fatal accident,” Dr. Shuey wrote.
“The fact that supervisors and reviewers failed to identify this or seek an explanation is inexcusable.”
Dr Shuey added that Victoria Police failed to demonstrate competent professional practice as it failed to follow a “rudimentary examination” of the evidence at the investigation, which was demonstrated by its “hasty and illogical conclusion”.
The review found that the police report lacked critical information, including photographs, measurements and professional interview techniques.
Dr. Shuey said the researchers failed to take into account the available evidence and called their conclusion “unfounded and unsupported.”
He added that the “negligent approach” undermined the integrity of the investigation and also jeopardized the “pursuit of justice.”
Police also repeatedly refused to provide Meuleman’s family with details of the driver, even though it was their duty to do so.
An explosive report claims that details of Daniel and Catherine Andrews’ crash with the teenage cyclist were covered up ‘to avoid implicating a political figure’
Premier Daniel Andrews’ Ford Territory after the collision with Ryan Meuleman. Police said Ms Andrews was at the wheel at the time of the crash.
Dr Shuey said the decision not to provide the family with the driver’s details “was designed to conceal the identity of those involved”.
He also questioned why Mr Andrews drove his car with the windscreen broken.
“If it’s the police, it’s a dereliction of duty; if it’s Daniel Andrews, it’s the removal of evidence and, in any case, dangerous or reckless driving at the very least,” he said.
But they later changed the documents to indicate that no test was conducted, claiming that Ms Andrews “did not smell of intoxicating liquor”.
The review concludes that another major oversight was that the police failed to verify the identity of the driver of the government vehicle involved in the serious accident.
“Witness Jane Crittenden claims she saw Catherine Andrews in the passenger seat after the accident,” it said.
“In my view, this investigative failure is a deliberate omission. It leaves the question of who was driving unresolved and in dispute,” the report said.
Shuey’s review was based on analysis of FOI documents, witness statements and his own reconstruction of the incident.
Dr. Shuey died in August, just days after completing the report, following a health battle related to Agent Orange from the Vietnam War.
Mr. Meuleman, now an adult, is suing the law firm of Slater & Gordon, which represented him after the accident, for allegedly failing to act in his best interests when it negotiated an $80,000 compensation settlement with the Transportation Accident Commission.
Slater & Gordon denies the allegations and will defend the case. The trial is scheduled for May 2025.
In July, Mr and Mrs Andrews were forced to hand over their phone and credit card details from the day of the crash following a High Court order.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest any wrongdoing on the part of Mr or Mrs Andrews.