Liam McNally
A fundraiser has been set up for a Melton family that was seriously injured when a severe storm toppled trees across their campsite.
The Hunter family was spending their yearly summer holiday at Freeburgh Caravan Park near Bright when severe storms tore through the area on January 3.
Patrick Vella, a relative who was camping with the family before the storm hit, said the bulk of the trip was full of normal family getaway activities, swimming, riding bikes, kids playing and chilling at the campsite.
Mr Vella had left on January 1, but understands that at about 6pm on the third a storm brought severe “cyclone-like” winds through the campsite.
While the Hunter family were frantically trying to save their camping gear, a pine tree was uprooted and another tree had a branch break, both of which fell onto the campsite and the family.
The father, Ben Hunter, mother, Bree and kids Kayla (17) and Chelsea (13) were all struck. Only the son, Jake (19) was left unscathed who quickly responded, alerting the campground owner to call emergency services, and guiding them into the site when they arrived.
Mr Vella said Mr Hunter was trapped under the fallen tree for about two hours, and was transported to Wangaratta hospital, then Royal Melbourne Hospital where he has undergone treatment for a broken neck vertebrae and multiple surgeries for an ankle “broken to the point where it was almost off”.
Kayla suffered a fractured back vertebrae and spent multiple nights in Wangaratta Hospital. Ms Hunter and Chelsea escaped with minor injuries.
Mr Vella said Mr Hunter, the family’s sole income earner, will be unable to work for the foreseeable future, and so Mr Vella has set up a GoFundMe page to support the family during their recovery.
“It’s never anything you want to hear,” he said.
“They’re a single income family and that’s been taken away from them. Having a mortgage and a car and three kids to raise… we need to do what we can to help out family.”
“It’d be greatly appreciated [for anyone] to help them out… that way they can concentrate on recovery.”
Details: tinyurl.com/29csb4c6
