Mum, baby in close brush with death

By Rowan Forster

An Officer mother has recalled the petrifying moment a chunk of steel detached from a truck and ploughed through her windscreen on the Monash Freeway, almost impaling her newborn daughter.

Kahla Butler was driving between Ernst Wanke Road and Belgrave-Hallam Road in Narre Warren on Thursday when the piece of metal fell from the vehicle’s rear tyre and cartwheeled towards her.

Her newborn daughter, Zoey, was strapped into a passenger seat when the rod struck her Honda, showering the four-week-old in shattered glass.

“It took some time before I realised Zoe was in the back – after I got over the shock – and I started wailing and screaming her name,” Mrs Butler said.

“Glass was in Zoe’s rear-facing capsule – it was absolutely everywhere.“

The 31-year-old posted the extraordinary footage on Facebook, prompting a viral response from viewers – comparing the near-miss to “something out of Final Destination.”

In the clip, she stops the car in the middle of the road, wailing in shock, before pulling the car to the side of the road.

Shortly after, undercover police spotted Mrs Butler and pulled over to assist her.

The driver of the truck has since approached her, apologising for the incident and confirming his rear suspension had given way.

It came after Mrs Butler and her partner, Mark Page, pleaded with the public to identify him.

However, the couple did not want to chastise the driver.“I didn’t want the truck driver to get in trouble. My main aim out of this was to get information, so that we don’t have to pay our own insurance,“ Ms Butler said.

“We just want our car fixed up.

“He had no idea it all happened and would have stopped otherwise.

“I let him know that I don’t blame him.”

Ms Butler said there were around six pieces of debris in total.

After piercing the windshield, the pipe hit the head rest and lodged in the foot well.

Fortunately, Zoey was in the rear of the car in a rear-facing capsule.

Mrs Butler credited her daughters and her experience as a tram driver for allowing her to remain calm.

Victoria police confirmed they had launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

“Police are currently investigating after a car was struck by a piece of steel on the Monash Freeway in Narre Warren on 2 August,“ a spokeswoman told 7 News.

Whilst detectives were trying to decipher what happened, charges will not be laid.