Melbourne, a grisly view from a bridge: Father throws 4 year old daughter off the city's West Gate bridge
A horrific act that Australians are at a complete loss to comprehend has dominated the media for the last day: a 35 year old father threw his 4 year old daughter off Melbourne's West Gate bridge. Witnesses reported seeing the guy, an IT consultant, stop his white Toyota Landcruiser at the top of the bridge, get out of the car, and drop her over the side. His two young sons, aged 6 and 8, were in the car. And apparently he then drove off, handing himself in later on. The little girl, Darcey Freeman, was rescued from the water, and ambulance officers spent 45 minutes trying to revive her, but she died hours later of massive injuries. The safety of the bridge is now being questioned. But, while I may have lived overseas for 11 years, I can't recall anyone throwing a child off the bridge before. I imagine a man who could conceive of throwing his child from a bridge, would find some other way to rid himself of her. I could imagine such as man placing the little girl in front of his vehicle and running her over. One wonders what went on in that car that morning, and before. What was going through the man's mind. It appears the man "snapped". He'd been through a custody dispute and the decision had just been made to allow joint custody. Had the man wanted full custody? Or did he not want custody at all? Did he secretly realize he wouldn't be able to cope? One journalist reporting on the tragedy wrote about the sweltering heat of the night before, as if to partly blame the weather. Whatever the cause, we all want to know it. Thousands are covering the story, millions are mourning the loss of this little life: 'A Nation Wants Answers' are the headlines today.
A horrific act that Australians are at a complete loss to comprehend has dominated the media for the last day: a 35 year old father threw his 4 year old daughter off Melbourne's West Gate bridge. Witnesses reported seeing the guy, an IT consultant, stop his white Toyota Landcruiser at the top of the bridge, get out of the car, and drop her over the side. His two young sons, aged 6 and 8, were in the car. And apparently he then drove off, handing himself in later on. The little girl, Darcey Freeman, was rescued from the water, and ambulance officers spent 45 minutes trying to revive her, but she died hours later of massive injuries. The safety of the bridge is now being questioned. But, while I may have lived overseas for 11 years, I can't recall anyone throwing a child off the bridge before. I imagine a man who could conceive of throwing his child from a bridge, would find some other way to rid himself of her. I could imagine such as man placing the little girl in front of his vehicle and running her over. One wonders what went on in that car that morning, and before. What was going through the man's mind. It appears the man "snapped". He'd been through a custody dispute and the decision had just been made to allow joint custody. Had the man wanted full custody? Or did he not want custody at all? Did he secretly realize he wouldn't be able to cope? One journalist reporting on the tragedy wrote about the sweltering heat of the night before, as if to partly blame the weather. Whatever the cause, we all want to know it. Thousands are covering the story, millions are mourning the loss of this little life: 'A Nation Wants Answers' are the headlines today.