Crash parent’s plea to ‘invincible young kids’

By Kath Gannaway
WAYNE Larsen is not alone when he despairs at the preventable death of his beautiful daughter and the friend they had come to know and like so much.
Devastated by the tragedy of Letecia and Stacie’s death, Mr Larsen pleaded for young people and their parents to take control of precious lives.
“It was meant to be just a simple journey but a simple trip turned into a massive loss, not just for us, but for the whole community,” he said as he and his wife Samantha wait to bury their only daughter.
“Accidents can happen, we all know that, but certain things can be stopped and prevented and controlled a bit. There’s a lack of control in young kids – they think they are invincible. As parents and adults we have to keep an eye on the whole picture.
“It’s a hard message, especially when everything is still so raw, but it has to be said. It’s about basics. Boys will be boys but if you have a lady in the car, pull back a bit, have respect for who you have in the car. As parents, it’s up to us. As an adult you can look back, but for these kids, it’s all going forward and they need to know.”
The girls are vulnerable and everything is possible when you’re 16.
“Girls have to take a breath when they’re going home from somewhere, if they’ve had too much to drink, or worried about how safe they are going to be getting home, they have to know that they can ring mum or dad and not be embarrassed or worried. That’s what they’re not doing.”
SES member Geoff Stott said the unit did a safety talk at Healesville High School just weeks ago. “We made the statement that three students who were at that school would not make 21 and it’s really hit home to us what we said at the time and what that prediction means for those young people,” he said.
How long now before other parents, other families in Healesville are dealing with the grief of losing a son or daughter … as predicted.