Mum injured by freak weather event while walking with daughter: 'One in a million'
Stevie Virtue, 30, was leaving her daughter's school when she was suddenly knocked to the ground, resulting in a concussion and 'shattered' vertebrae in her neck.
As parts of the country have battled through destructive winds over the past week, with loss of power and damaged buildings experienced by millions, one woman is "lucky to be alive" after being struck by a falling tree while walking with her young daughter.
It comes as a woman in her 60s was killed after a tree fell on a cabin at a holiday park on the border between Victoria and New South Wales on Monday. Meanwhile, a Victorian man has died, with a woman critically injured, after a tree fell on their car last Wednesday.
Stevie Virtue, 30, had just picked up Paityn, 7, from school in Dingley Village, Melbourne and was walking to the car when suddenly she was knocked to the ground — the "huge" tree missing her daughter by "two seconds," she told Yahoo News.
CCTV from a property across the road captured the incident. Virtue can be seen highlighted in the footage with her daughter running ahead. In the top right-hand corner at the six-second mark of the video a large tree is seen falling on top of the mum.
According to doctors, the "huge" tree branch would have easily weighed more than 30kgs. And it fell straight on her head, Virtue said — a "one in a million" chance, she believes.
While it could have easily killed her, the mum of two suffered two breaks in her neck, with doctors fearing she'd be facing paralysis. Her injuries have left her "unable to move" for three months as she recovers.
Watch the incident below:
Strong winds cause tree to fall on woman's head
A strong gust of wind is what caused the tree, located on private property, to fall from a height of roughly four metres, Virtue told Yahoo News. At nearby Moorabbin Airport wind speeds of 85km were recorded at 3.47pm that afternoon, not long after the tree came down.
"I remember the tree being on top of me. I remember crying and yelling at my daughter to go get [help]. It was terrifying," she recalled.
"The lollipop lady came over and grabbed my arm and helped me half-crawl away from the tree so nothing else fell on top of me — then another branch ended up falling. It was so close to hitting my daughter, it would have killed her.
"I had an instant headache but my neck and head were both so sore. I couldn’t move."
Injuries from falling tree an 'absolute nightmare'
On arriving at the hospital it was discovered Virtue had "shattered" her C3 vertebrae, "crushing 30 per cent of it". She also suffered a break in her C4 vertebrae — both in her neck. The 30-year-old also suffered a concussion she's still recovering from a week later, as well as now dealing with the long-term consequences of her injuries.
'"It's an absolute nightmare. I’m not allowed to lift anything over a kilo, I feel useless. I can’t even make my kids cereal as I can’t lift the milk carton," she explained. "I can’t sit or lay down, it kills to shower. Sleeping is even worse. I’m not allowed to work or drive, it is a nightmare."
Distressing video shows moment dad killed in freak accident on family holiday
Council warns locals after huge tree falls down 'out of nowhere
Virtue is unable to work at her jobs as a hairdresser and disability support worker. She's also a full-time carer for her mother, which she's now unable to do.
"This is understandably going to cause significant emotional and mental turmoil while she takes this time to heal," her friend wrote on a GoFundMe page set up for the family. "It will also affect her partner, Addison, while he tries to maintain some routine and normality for the girls and support Stevie as much as possible."
Trail of destruction as damaging winds sweep across SE Australia
While the wild weather has calmed across most of Victoria and NSW, with Tasmania and South Australia also hit with heavy winds, more than 30,000 Victorians remain affected and could be without power for days.
Wind gusts of 146km/h were recorded at Wilsons Promontory lighthouse between Sunday and Monday as warnings for damaging and destructive winds were issued. On Monday, schools across the state were forced to close.
In NSW, a gale warning is current for the far south coast, with strong winds still expected along much of the NSW coast. In Tasmania, a gale warning has been issued for the South West Coast and Central West Coast. Meanwhile, the cleanup continues in many areas.
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