One of the police officers who responded to the death of Darcey Freeman is suing for negligence after developing post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
For those who don’t remember, in 2009 the four-year-old was thrown from the West Gate Bridge by her father, Arthur.
It was a shocking crime and one for which Mr Freeman is currently serving a life sentence for murder.
Freeman had been driving his three children back from visiting their grandparents in Aireys Inlet when he stopped on the bridge about 9.15am, took his daughter from the car and threw her 58m to her death.
Constable Colleen Spiteri had just started her shift when she was called to the scene.
Since then, she has struggled with mental health issues triggered by the trauma, claiming that the Victoria Police failed to provide her with adequate counselling, according to the writ seen by Fairfax.
Ms Spiteri is also suing VicRoads for the lack of safety guards on the bridge, the amount of damages being sought remains unknown however.
Barriers were erected soon after Darcey’s death.
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I used to work with a lady who is psychic and she hated driving over the westgate freeway. She said she could feel the sadness and despair and sometimes she could hear wailing and screaming. Barriers should have been put up a long time ago, many years before this tragedy.
I wonder if it was mainly to do with the tragedy from when the bridge was being built and it collapsed, killing thirty-five construction workers?
Here is the 1970 ABC News report: https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Apparently, it's believed that three unrecovered bodies are entombed in the Bridge, as only 32 bodies were recovered.
I have to say I was always stunned it took so many tragedies and years before safety guards were installed n the West Gate Bridge. Having previously been in an abusive relationship with someone with mental health problems, I have been in a car approaching the bridge as a passenger, with the driver threatening to drive us both off during an intense episode. It was about 2005, and they wouldn't have had this option to terrify me if there'd been guards there then. I feel that this was a reckless oversight by the planners/ government.