Five dead, seven injured after car ploughs into Daylesford beer garden

“We are working through that as it is a very complex scene, we are trying to work through that,” he said.

Emergency services raced to the scene and cordoned off Vincent Street, the main street through the town shortly after the accident happened.

The BMW, with significant damage, remained in the street outside the pub on Sunday evening as police and emergency services moved around the accident area.

Dozens of people were standing at the scene in shock as emergency services, including the SES, the CFA and police, attended the crash site.

One healthcare worker, who asked not be named, said she arrived at the scene to find a pair of children’s shoes strewn a long distance from one another.

“I also saw at least four phones on the road,” she said. “It was so real. So human.”

The worker said it had been “one of those perfect nights” with the sun setting before the crash. “That absolute perfection has just been shattered in an instant.”

She said some people in the street were shocked by what they had seen. “As I was walking away from the scene there was a tradesman standing next to his ute crying on the phone. He said what I’ve just seen I will never be able to unsee.”

Rhonda White witnessed the immediate aftermath from the nearby RSL, describing the collision as a nightmare.

“There were so many people that ran to the rescue. Fifteen minutes later the police arrived,” she said.

White, who has lived locally for 40 years, said the response from bystanders was incredible, estimating almost 100 people turned out to help.

“They were looking after people. One of the girls that was sitting with me went over and did CPR on a man.”

Jesse Leith, who owns a cafe and bar nearby in Vincent Street, described the scene as horrific. He heard commotion in the street immediately after the crash.

“There was yelling and an eruption of noise in the street,” he said.

Leith closed his business early following the crash and said many others had done the same. He said the mood was sombre among the business owners and workers still on the street.

“We’ve been saying how no one remembers anything like this happening in Daylesford,” he said. “It’s a shock for a small town like this.”

Leith said emergency services had put up orange drapes around the scene of the collision.

Hepburn Shire Mayor Brian Hood said the hotel was typically busy with patrons, particularly on a long weekend.

“I can only imagine there would be a lot of people sitting out there. There are a lot of tables and chairs,” he said.

Hood said he was unaware of any other crashes at that Vincent Street roundabout.

“There certainly hasn’t been any recently,” he said.

Hood said the location was a busy intersection where drivers tended to slow down.

“It’s a very built-up area. All four entrances and exits into the roundabout are busy streets, and it’s right in the middle of town,” he said. “Typically, people are travelling at very low speed when they approach it.“

One healthcare worker, who asked not be named, said she arrived at the scene to find a pair of children’s shoes strewn a long distance from one another.

“I also saw at least four phones on the road,” she said. “It was so real. So human.”

The worker said it had been “one of those perfect nights” with the sun setting before the crash. “That absolute perfection has just been shattered in an instant.”

She said some people in the street were shocked by what they had seen. “As I was walking away from the scene there was a tradesman standing next to his ute crying on the phone. He said what I’ve just seen I will never be able to unsee.”

Police posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm there was a serious crash and to avoid the area.

“Emergency services are currently at the scene of a serious crash in Vincent Street, Daylesford. As emergency services need access to the scene we ask that members of the public avoid the area. Police are putting diversions in place.”

Rhonda White witnessed the immediate aftermath from the nearby RSL, describing the collision as a nightmare.

“There were so many people that ran to the rescue. Fifteen minutes later the police arrived,” she said.

White, who has lived locally for 40 years, said the response from bystanders was incredible, estimating almost 100 people turned out to help.

“They were looking after people. One of the girls that was sitting with me went over and did CPR on a man whose body was severed.”

White only realised 90 minutes later she had witnessed bodies at the scene. She said it took about half an hour for ambulances to arrive. “In that whole half an hour it was just bedlam.”

White said police interviewed the driver for about an hour, and then he walked away from the car, apparently uninjured.