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A teenage girl is fighting for life in hospital after being struck by an allegedly speeding car during an organised car meet at Burswood on Monday night.
WA Police said the 17-year-old was struck by the car on Camfield Drive near Crown Perth around 10pm as a pre-arranged car club meeting was dispersing.
The moment before the crash, captured by a bystander’s mobile phone. Credit: Instagram
Confronting mobile phone footage shows two cars taking off at speed as a crowd of bystanders watch at the roadside. The second car hits the girl and she flies into the air, the impact of her body shattering the windscreen of the black Honda Civic.
The girl suffered serious internal injuries and was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital in critical condition. The driver, a 25-year-old man, was uninjured.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he expected the driver to be charged with speeding and dangerous driving.
He confirmed police were aware of the event, with the group of car enthusiasts regularly hosting Monday meets, and that police had been present earlier in the evening, seizing a vehicle.
“[The meets are] normally well-behaved … but it looks like there has been a person allegedly speeding and has hit a pedestrian,” he said.
“I have seen one piece of footage, which is very confronting, of the young girl being hit; I believe there were a number of people filming.”
Blanch said the incident happened at the end of the meet, as people were exiting the area, and the police had left.
“It’s not that we don’t support car meets, but what we don’t support is reckless and dangerous behaviour that results in these tragedies at the end of an organised meet,” he said.
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Event organisers have since indicated on social media that they will temporarily suspend any future planned meets.
“Our thoughts are with the young woman who was tragically struck by a car at Monday Meets,” they said.
“We’re deeply saddened by what happened and are keeping her and her loved ones in our hearts during this incredibly difficult time.
“As a community, it’s important we reflect on the seriousness of this incident and remind ourselves of the responsibility we all share to prioritise safety - not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us.”
Despite the incident occurring at the site of the WA government’s controversial street racing circuit, WA Premier Roger Cook said the crash had “nothing to do with the entertainment and sports precinct we’re proposing for the peninsular”.
“What it does do is reinforce our commitment to our post and boast [anti-hooning] laws,” he said.
WA Police are asking anyone with information or footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.
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