A Melbourne coronial inquest has opened into the devastating Daylesford beer garden crash that claimed five lives in November 2023, with the driver providing his first public testimony about the tragedy. William Herbert Swale, 69, appeared before the Coroners Court of Victoria describing a complete memory blackout surrounding the incident that killed two families.
The court heard how Swale’s BMW X5 plowed into outdoor seating at the Royal Daylesford Hotel at approximately 6:00 PM on November 5, resulting in the deaths of Pratibha Sharma, 44, her nine-year-old daughter Anvi, her husband Jatin Kumar, 30, along with family friends Vivek Bhatia, 38, and his eleven-year-old son Vihann. Multiple other patrons sustained injuries in the horrific collision.
Medical evidence presented to the inquest revealed Swale was experiencing a severe hypoglycemic episode with blood sugar levels recorded at dangerously low 2.9mmol/L shortly before the crash. Swale testified that his last conscious memory was entering the Winespeake deli seeking food to address his condition, after which he recalls nothing until waking in an ambulance.
The diabetic driver described feeling “dark,” “hazy,” and “vague” prior to the incident, acknowledging he was not making rational decisions due to his medical state. Court documents indicated his continuous glucose monitor had triggered ten separate alarms on his phone that evening, though Swale claimed he never heard them, suggesting his car’s Bluetooth connection may have muted the alerts.
Significant questions emerged during testimony regarding Swale’s medical management and driving certification. The 69-year-old revealed he had only learned of mandatory diabetes reporting requirements for Victorian drivers in 2019, and described a concerning gap in communication between his general practitioner and endocrinologist regarding his fitness to drive. Despite having been certified by endocrinologist Dr. Matthew Cohen just months before the tragedy, Swale admitted to not recalling educational materials about diabetes management and safe driving practices that had been provided to him.
Coroner Dimitra Dubrow opened proceedings by acknowledging the profound grief and lasting trauma experienced by the victims’ families and survivors. The two-week inquest will continue examining the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, including medical oversight protocols and safety measures for diabetic drivers.