Cousin of police officer killed in horror freeway crash shares heartfelt message to motorists

The cousin of one of the police officers killed in last night’s horrific crash has described the moment he found out about his family member’s death, and shared an emotional message for Victorian motorists.

Trevor, a truck driver who drives a similar vehicle to the one which hit and killed the four police officers on the Eastern Freeway, said he felt dread when he heard about the smash.

“I saw the news break and thought ‘that’s a familiar run, my cousin runs up and down there,” he told 3AW’s Ross and John.

“Sure enough I got a phone call from my cousin’s wife, hysterical.

“I just had a feeling that something wasn’t right, it wasn’t right at all, and it has come to fruition.”

Trevor said his cousin, who had been in the police force for eight years, is a father and husband.

“It’s just devastating. They’re not a number, they’re a name, they’re a family member, they’re a friend, they’re a cousin, they’re an uncle and a brother, or a husband, or a wife,” he said.

Trevor said in the days leading up to yesterday’s crash, he noticed a “horrific” change on the roads.

“The last three days on Victorian roads have just been horrific, for some unknown reason,” he said.

“Everyone’s in and out, everyone wants to get pole position, to be in front.

“When someone passes an emergency vehicle, whether it be ambulance, fire or police, they’ve got to understand that 40km applies to every lane.

“People just think if they’re in the other lane they can keep doing 60km, 80km, 100km.

“Until this happens to you, you think that you’re invincible.”

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