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AAP
AAP
National
Kaitlyn Offer and William Ton

'Unbearable loss': community's grief after pub crash

Migration lawyer Pratibha Sharma was killed along with her partner and daughter. (HANDOUT/AUSTRALIAN SIKH SUPPORT)

A community volunteer who delivered food parcels to people in quarantine during COVID-19 and her family are among those killed in a Victorian beer garden crash.

Migration agent Pratibha Sharma, 44, her nine-year-old daughter Anvi and partner Jatin Chugh, 30, were sitting outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel when a BMW SUV mounted the kerb and hit patrons about 6pm on Sunday.

The Point Cook woman volunteered with Australian Sikh Support from 2020 to help deliver food boxes to people quarantining and students facing hardship during the pandemic and is being remembered as a selfless and community-oriented.

"Pratibha and her partner and daughter usually came up in the warehouse with their own car and in the warehouse they were helping us packaging the food and sorting the boxes," Gurjit Singh from Australian Sikh Support told AAP.

Pratibha Sharma
Pratibha Sharma is remembered as a community minded person who volunteered to help people in need.

Anvi would play with other children in the warehouse while her parents worked, he said.

Ms Sharma had run for state parliament and local council and was admitted as a lawyer in June, a moment she celebrated on Facebook.

"I will like to thank you everyone for this achievement ... specially my daughter ANVI who is always been the biggest motivation for me," Ms Sharma wrote.

Mr Singh said Ms Sharma would go out of her way to help students who came to her as a migration lawyer.

"Sometimes, she don't charge their services because of their financial hardship," he said.

The 66-year-old Mount Macedon man who crashed into them will remain in hospital for another night with police expecting to interview him on Wednesday.

He did not have alcohol in his system and was not known to authorities.

A 38-year-old Tarneit man, named in media outlets as Vivek Bhatia, and his 11-year-old son were also killed. His 36-year-old wife Ruchi Bhatia and six-year-old son were hospitalised.

A friend of Ms Bhatia has started a fundraiser to rally the community behind the family.

"Two beautiful families were torn apart," organiser Amandeep Kaur said on the fundraising page.

Daylesford vigil
More than 200 people gathered at a community vigil to mourn the crash victims.

"It will be a long way to recovery and to get over this unbearable loss." Money raised will go towards Ms Bhatia and her surviving son to help in their recovery and future.

"The Bhatia family only recently bought their house after getting permanent residency and were a happy family," Ms Kaur wrote.

"God had other plans though!"

An 11-month-old boy was injured and is in a stable condition at the Royal Children's Hospital.

The baby's mother was not injured, but a 43-year-old Kyneton woman and a 38-year-old Cockatoo man with them were hurt and are in Royal Melbourne Hospital.

More than 200 people gathered at a vigil at Daylesford's Victoria Park on Monday night, including Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas and federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King.

The emotional crowd was urged to reach out to support services if they were struggling.

Catherine King Daylesford vigil
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King was among those paying their respects.

Devastated mourners laid flowers, teddy bears and left messages of condolences at the accident site.

"(We) are broken. Rest in peace," one message read.

A counselling service has been set up at a community health centre for anyone struggling to cope with the tragedy.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton described the crash as an "absolute tragedy" and "one of the most confronting scenes that experienced officers have been to".

"Some may never lose that scene, it may haunt them forever," he said.

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