The Daylesford community has come together to mark the anniversary of the accident which claimed the lives of five people last November. The families of those who died when a car crashed into an outdoor dining area were surrounded by well-wishers at a touching ceremony. But locals say the dismissal of all charges against the driver has been a difficult issue to deal with.
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00:0012 months on from a tragedy, a chance for Daylesford to once again put its arms around
00:07the families of those who lost their lives.
00:10We lost five people, but thanks to this Daylesford community, they support us like as a family
00:17member, thanks to them.
00:19Hundreds attended this morning's memorial service, laying tributes for the five people
00:23who died when a car ploughed into the outdoor dining area of a Daylesford hotel.
00:28We were shocked that people, they can do such a thing for people they don't even know.
00:34So that was amazing.
00:36Charges against driver William Swale were dismissed by a Melbourne magistrate in September,
00:40who found the diabetic had suffered a hypoglycemic reaction and wasn't in control of his actions.
00:46Last week, prosecutors confirmed they would not reinstate the charges.
00:50The legal process was a hot topic in town with people, everyone was shocked.
00:56It hasn't been helpful for the recovery process.
01:00For the families, the road to recovery will be a long one.
01:04Vikas Sharma says he can't work as his parents now need constant care.
01:08We are suffering.
01:11In a week, I have every day for my father or my mothers around three to four visits
01:18to hospital, to doctor's appointment, just due to their trauma.
01:22Changes have been made to the way traffic moves around the site,
01:26but Hepburn Shire has ruled out building a memorial.
01:29I think this will be an event that will be forever etched in the history of Daylesford and Hepburn Shire,
01:34but there's no plans for a permanent memorial.
01:36It's still a beautiful town.
01:38It's still a wonderful community.
01:40We move on.