THE CRASH
On January 7th, 2013, a government-owned Ford Territory SUV, driven either by former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews or his wife Catherine Andrews, struck a 15-year-old boy named Ryan Meuleman, nearly killing him. The couple maintain that Catherine was behind the wheel; however, police were unable to verify this claim after Mr. Andrews drove the SUV away before a proper inspection could be conducted.
Ryan says he was struck by the front of the SUV on his left side while attempting to cross Ridley Street in Blairgowrie, a surf town on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. Critically injured, Ryan was airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital. He was incredibly lucky to survive, having lost 90% of his spleen, suffered broken ribs, and required several full blood transfusions—equivalent to losing all the blood in his body six times over.
BLAMING THE VICTIM
Both Daniel and Catherine Andrews blamed Ryan for causing the crash. In their sworn police statements, they claimed Ryan had crashed into the side of their SUV — and that was how he was injured.
But in 2022, previously unseen photos of the crash vehicle surfaced, showing no damage to the side where Ryan supposedly collided. Instead, the images reveal significant front-end damage — including a smashed windscreen — consistent with Ryan’s account that the SUV struck him head-on, throwing him onto the bonnet, then the windscreen, rolling over the roof, and landing on the road behind the car.
Roughly six and half minutes after the crash, as Ryan laid critically injured, Daniel Andrews finally called 000 — and that call recording exists. In it, Andrews can be heard saying the words that contradict everything he’s claimed since: “… and we’ve hit him.”
Law and Disorder - When Justice Forgot the Victim
Assistant Police Commissioner Brett Curran (left), Senior Constable Shayna Sage (centre), Senior Constable Daniel Ward (right)
Initially, a highway patrol unit with three officers was assigned to the crash. But they were inexplicably stood down by Constable Daniel Ward from South Rye Police Station, who falsely claimed he was closer to the scene. In reality, Ward and SC Shayna Sage didn’t leave the station for another six and a half minutes—while Ryan lay critically injured on a hot road near a dangerous intersection, without police or emergency services in attendance.
When the Law Breaks the Rules
When the officers finally arrived, they failed to inspect the vehicle to determine who was driving. Neither Daniel Andrews nor Catherine Andrews was breathalysed. Ignoring a long list of protocol, the officers even allowed Daniel Andrews to drive the damaged, unroadworthy SUV away from the scene, despite its smashed windscreen.
Police did not call in the Major Crash Investigation Unit. No measurements or photographs or interviews with witnesses were taken—evidence that could have shown the SUV was speeding and on the wrong side of the road when it hit Ryan, nearly killing him.
The Investigation That Went Nowhere
The two attending officers were later investigated but cleared of wrongdoing — despite failing multiple protocols, falsely claiming to have breathalysed the driver, allowing two potential suspects to leave the scene without confirming who was behind the wheel, and permitting an unroadworthy vehicle to be driven away. Their reports were later found to contain false information, yet the internal review concluded no disciplinary action was necessary.
The Investigation That Went Nowhere
Ryan originally received just an $80 insurance payout for the crash. In 2025, he took legal action against law firm Slater & Gordon over their mis-handling of his earlier case — and won, with the court ruling in his favour and awarding damages.