The family of tragic heroine Eleanor Bryant have shared their grief over the death of the beloved mother-of-two.
Mrs. Bryant43, pulled the children out of harm’s way when the runaway tanker plowed through the playground at Macedon Ranges Montessori Preschool in Riddells Creek, northwest of Melbourne, on Monday afternoon.
It can be revealed that the speech therapist had been with a child with special needs at the time, and took him away seconds before he lost his life.
On Tuesday, Bryant’s family released a statement through Victoria Police expressing their sadness at the untimely death of their beloved mother and wife.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beautiful Eleanor,” the statement said.
‘She was the light of our lives: a beloved mother, wife, daughter and sister, and loved by all her family and huge network of friends.
‘Her infectious smile, sense of humor and passion for life made her a pleasure to be around. Today there is a huge void in our hearts.
‘We thank the emergency services for their tireless work and the public for their beautiful tributes.
“We will miss her like crazy.”
Eleanor Bryant died in a tragic incident in Riddells Creek. She has been described as a heroine.
On Tuesday, an outpouring of grief erupted outside the preschool where Ms. Bryant, known to some of the children as ‘Nor Nor’, lost her life.
Dozens of mourners have paraded down the path to the front of the preschool to leave floral tributes.
Some flowers lie directly on the destroyed fence where the tanker crashed into the playground.
Debris remains scattered throughout the area, and children are forced to walk past the tragic remains to pay their respects.
There is hardly a soul in the small, tight-knit community who does not or does not know Mrs. Bryant.
She had been attending preschool on Monday to help a young student with speech difficulties.
School teacher Caitriona Goldsworthy said Bryant was doing her job when the tragedy occurred.
“He had a lot of knowledge, but he also worked with kids at our school and that’s what he did here,” she said.
“She was working with a child as one of her jobs.”
Total carnage: the tragic scene where Ms Bryant was killed by a runaway truck
The tanker truck that crashed into the preschool on Monday afternoon
Heartbroken locals continue to leave flowers at the site of the tragedy.
Local Walter Lucas described Ms Bryant as a “superhero” for her brave actions.
Mr. Lucas was right across the street when he witnessed the bloody aftermath of the accident.
‘She is a hero. “She is a local hero,” he said. ‘She saved that child’s life to put her own life into it. She is a true hero.
‘That child is now going to continue living his entire life and for her to take her life for that child really means a lot. It means a lot. She is more than a hero. She’s a superhero.’
Lucas, whose mother was Bryant’s best friend, said her loss would be felt by the local community for a long time.
“She loved the little kids here,” he added. ‘He loved spending time with everyone and obviously when we found out he was here it really hit us hard.
‘He was a lovely person, two lovely children. “Obviously everyone is still in shock and piecing together how it happened.”
The boy saved by Mrs Bryant was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital with serious injuries to his arm.
Locals comfort each other outside Tuesday’s tragic scene
A woman leaves another floral tribute outside the preschool on Tuesday
Walter Lucas described Bryant as a “superhero”
The preschool remained closed Tuesday as cleanup crews worked to remove debris.
Police were seen speaking to business owners just across the road from the incident, and CCTV footage from a garage there is believed to have captured the incident.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton paid tribute to Ms Bryant for her efforts to save young children.
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” he told ABC Radio. ‘A tragedy for Eleanor’s family and friends and also for the three-year-old boy who was injured and taken to hospital.
“I’m led to believe that he acted heroically and moved several small children out of the way of the vehicle…so brave, so brave.”
Patton said the truck driver was still in the hospital and had not yet been interviewed as of Tuesday morning.
He could not confirm earlier reports that the driver, 68, had suffered a medical episode.
“As I understand it, he is still under observation in the hospital,” he added.
‘He hasn’t been interviewed yet. We will endeavor to interview you as soon as we can, once we are medically cleared to do so.
“We’re not ruling anything out and we’re not ruling anything out at this point.”
“We are not in a position to confirm any of that, it is too early.”