Fuel and Heavy Vehicle sector Support after drunk-drive service station damage

One of the main tenets of MTA is to support our members as best we can.

So, when Dhruv Dewan’s National Park Service Station was hit by a suspected drunk driver last month, knocking out two fuel dispensers, MTA member services officers contacted him to check in and offer our support.

As details of the incident were shared by the team with membership advisor Danny Garrick and myself, we decided the best course of action would be to contact Dhruv and arrange a visit to offer onsite support.

On a crisp clear July day, Danny and I travelled to National Park and met with Dhruv and his wife as he relayed the whole ordeal. It was obviously a spine-chilling experience for him.

As Dhruv was counting out the day’s take, he saw the headlights of a vehicle heading at speed towards his service station.

Even more frightening was the realisation it was on course with the cashier section of the shop. The vehicle came through an intersection at speed, losing control, hitting the curb and continuing into the forecourt where it collided with fuel dispensers two and three, destroying them. None of the staff were injured and surprisingly no one in the car was injured. Emergency services responded to the incident within 15 minutes and the driver of the car was arrested on site for excess breath alcohol.

As the photos show, the vehicle was stopped from hitting the shop by the fuel dispensers.

Dhruv has praise for the response from his fuel supplier GAS and their service providers ECL to his situation. His insurers have been understanding and supportive throughout the ongoing situation. Dhruv says he is also grateful for MTA’s quick response and the follow-up visit. Having people support and check on his wellbeing, his staff’s wellbeing and the business, has helped immensely in a time of unplanned disruption, he says.

Prior to the incident Dhruv was in the planning stages of developing the site and our visit has led to further collaboration with MTA to help grow the business – a nice silver lining.

His business is the hub of a widely dispersed community in National Park, and it supplies fuel and groceries for the residents of the central plateau. There isn’t another service station within 35 kilometres, so it is an important resource for the community, and aside from the disruption, foot traffic in the shop was non-stop as it was school holidays when we visited.

It was encouraging to see a member’s business being well supported, and for us to get out and show some solidarity too.