11-year-old driver kills man
By Mark Buttler
August 14, 2003
A FATAL decision to allow an 11-year-old to drive a high-performance car led to a man's gruesome drowning at the bottom of a freezing creek.
Murray Dance, the V8 car's owner, offered the primary school student a driving lesson in darkness and rain near Ballarat late on Tuesday night.
But Mr Dance's pride and joy – a $48,000 V8 SS Holden Commodore – ran out of control and flipped before plunging upside-down into the murky waters of Winter Creek.
The boy was able to scramble to safety but Mr Dance, 42, was trapped in his seat as water flooded the cabin.
It is believed he drowned as the child, believed to be the son of a friend, rushed to summon help.
Mr Dance's partner, Linda Meggs, said she was shocked that an 11-year-old was behind the wheel of the near-new car.
"It is very strange that he would let a young lad drive it. Never let an 11-year-old boy drive a car . . . it's insanity," she said.
CFA volunteer Wayne Pengelly braved the icy water after racing to the scene to find four wheels were the only visible sign of the vehicle.
He put his hands into the car and thought he could feel the Ballarat man, but was unable to get him out.
As he worked, ambulance officers instructed him on how long he could stay in the water before hypothermia set in.
"The water was very cold," he said.
The Commodore was towed from the creek an hour later and the rescue workers' fears were confirmed when the car-yard worker's body was found inside.
Mr Dance's brother Ian last night said his generosity may have proved his undoing.
"He was too bloody kind-hearted. He was good to kids and that's obviously what's got him in trouble," he said.
"I don't understand what happened."
Supt Lindsay Florence, of Ballarat police, said the boy had not yet been interviewed.
It was not known whether alcohol was a factor in the tragedy.
Supt Florence said children should never be allowed to drive on public roads.
"Clearly, the message I have is that it's totally unacceptable for anyone 11 years old to be driving at any time," he said.
Rural Ambulance Service spokesman Paul Bird said the sodden child was standing in the frigid night air when the first paramedics arrived.
"It's a tragedy. It will clearly have a big impact on the families involved," Mr Bird said.
The boy was treated at Ballarat Base Hospital and released yesterday.
Friends of Mr Dance, who visited the death scene yesterday, were too upset to comment on the tragedy.