Miraculously the shrapnel had pushed through his ribcage without breaking any bones. X-rays had revealed shrapnel had punctured one of his lungs and sliced one of his kidneys almost in half. It would not be an easy fix because the gap was too wide and too swollen to be stitched up. Nonetheless, the shrapnel had completely sliced through his muscle. It was a miracle, the doctors said, that his femur hadn't been broken. The gash in his leg was caused by a flying piece of shrapnel that had cut him through to the bone.
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His parents got the full story when they arrived at the hospital. As soon as the younger two Donadio children had been collected from school, the family screeched, lights and sirens, all the way to Melbourne.įor the injured young police officer, drugs were taking the edge off his pain and he was not really aware of what was going on.
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Victoria Police had sent a Traffic Operations Group car and driver to the Donadio's Ballarat home. When she called back, she told Bev that the injuries to her son were more serious than a broken leg and that the family had better get to the hospital as soon as possible. The nurse promised to ring back as soon as she heard anything. She immediately rang the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was told that her son was having tests. No, she was told, probably just a broken leg. Journalists also reported that police were checking lists of people who were to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court that day.Īfter being told that Carl had been injured in the blast, Bev Donadio asked if it was serious. That evening, television news reported that terrorism had hit Melbourne as 'bomb after bomb' exploded in Russell Street. The search for evidence would start again at first light the following day, Good Friday. The pressure was on, not only to find the bombers, but also on a practical level, to re-open the surrounding city streets to traffic. Police combed the surrounding streets for clues until late into the evening. A live detonator was found in the women's gym on the fourth floor of the police headquarters. A wheel from the bomb car was found in the carpark behind the Russell Street building meaning that it must have been blown right over the roof and over the building behind headquarters into the carpark. The evidence could also contain clues to link the bomb with its makers.
It was vital to collect as much debris as was recoverable so that the investigators could piece together what had occurred. Crime elsewhere didn't take a holiday because Russell Street exploded and in the middle of the bomb drama, Knight had to send an SOG crew to an armed hold-up in Donvale while the rest of the squad were used in the bomb aftermath.
Members were called in from rest days and it was all hands on deck. Inspector Bruce Knight from the SOG offered his team for whatever tasks needed their expertise.
Wayne Ashley knew that while Russell Street would be closed to traffic indefinitely, the other city streets would need to be cleared as quickly as possible to allow traffic through. All the bags of evidence would be taken to the Russell Street police auditorium and stored, waiting for examination.