Tributes have been paid to the young model by the distraught father and friends of the woman who was killed in a car accident in a Melbourne park.
In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, a vehicle crashed into Elise Hodder, a 24-year-old pedestrian, as she and two other revelers were making their way out of Sir Zelman Cowen Park in Kooyong.
At approximately 1.10 in the morning yesterday, reports of a boisterous gathering led the police to Glenferrie Road in Kooyong.
Police were informed that a vehicle had collided with a group in the parking lot when they reached the park.
A automobile reversing at high speed crushed and killed Hodder, who had recently been published in New York’s Vanguard Magazine.
Another woman, 26 years old, was airlifted to the hospital after suffering severe injuries to her lower extremities; she required ankle reconstruction surgery.
A man of 25 years of age was also struck, but he walked away unharmed.
It was previously announced that another rave was going to be held at the same site, however it was abruptly rescheduled.
If that was the group’s motivation, the police are looking into it.
It is believed that Connor Mathiasson, a resident of Sunbury, was operating the vehicle when the accident occurred. Prosecutors said the 23-year-old had traces of cannabis in his system and was over the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration.
Death by careless driving, death by risky driving, and negligently inflicting serious injury are among the charges against him.
Friends and family of the young model laid floral tributes at Sir Zelman Cowen Park today, and her father paid homage to her on Facebook.
“You were the most beautiful, caring and supportive woman,” he said. We will always remember you and be there for your friends, just as you were for everyone else.
“I’m torn apart, but your smile and heartbeat will always be with us.”
In a social media post, Hodder’s friend Mia Bailey also recalled the young model.
By writing, “To know Elise, was to love Elise,” Bailey expressed emotion. Nobody I’ve ever met is as hilariously and shamelessly herself as she is.
“Her laugh was infectious, her eyes bewildering, and a heart so full of love.”
Despite not seeing his kid since Christmas, Mathiasson’s father left the Melbourne Magistrates Court this afternoon after promising to oversee him around the clock if given bail.
“It’s devastating, absolutely devastating and I can’t, really, I don’t know what to say,” Mathiasson’s father told that stranger outside of court.
Tomorrow morning, the man from Sunbury should find out whether he has been granted bail.
