'What if, what if, what if': Dad shocked by footage of son in traffic
A father says he is unlikely to send his toddler back to a Werribee childcare centre after the two-year-old boy was able to escape and run onto a busy road.
Clint, who did not want his surname published, said he hasn't been able to stop thinking about the footage of his son, Luka, and another toddler running across several lanes of traffic on busy Ballan Road in Werribee.
The toddlers managed to escape Werribee West Family Centre about 10am on Tuesday and wandered onto the road – which has a speed limit of 70km/h – before drivers got out to rescue the children.
"I'm so grateful and I want to reach out to those drivers to say thank you so much," the father, who wants to find the good Samaritans, told The Age.
"They are good people, they did this as an act of kindness. I know people out there aren't so good and could have taken my son and his friend. That plays in your head."
Clint and his wife saw the footage in the hours after they were told by the childcare centre about the incident and were "absolutely devastated".
"When we saw it ... oh my god. You know what, it's kind of in our head now because the questions that go through your mind are: what if, what if, what if," he said.
One of the scariest moments of the footage was seeing a large truck drive past in the minutes after the boys were on the road, he said.
"Trucks need a good 100 metres before they come to a complete stop," he said.
The family have been told work was being completed at the childcare centre over the weekend and a gate that leads outside was not closed correctly, allowing the children to escape.
"They contacted my wife. From what she's told me ... they assured her that everything was fine and that he was OK and not hurt. She asked what happened and was thinking he had a fall or had a fight or something," he said.
"They said he actually got out of the premises, and they found him across the road. We were like, 'Oh my god. How did he cross that main road'," he said.
They haven't sent Luka and their 18-month-old daughter back to the centre since the incident, and will most likely move them somewhere else.
"We are still talking about it. My wife returned back to full-time work three months ago," he said.
"They betrayed our trust. Our trust is gone with that particular centre now."
An investigation by the Victorian Education and Training Department into the incident is underway after it was referred to the department by Early Childhood Management Services, which oversees the centre.
The parents also said they were disappointed by the response and support they had received since Tuesday.
"My wife had a meeting with someone from the Department of Education and Training and all they could say to her was the matter was being investigated and what can we do to have the children return here," the father said.
"There's no sensitivity there. They never even asked are you OK, what can we provide, do you need counselling."
The department have been contacted for comment.