Junbo Shim: Tributes flow for 22-year-old FIFO worker with a ‘cheeky smile’ killed in Forrestfield crash

The young man who died after being hit by a reckless driver fleeing police in Forrestfield has been identified as a FIFO worker with a “cheeky smile.” Junbo Shim, 22, recently moved to Perth from South Korea to start a new life as a worker in the mines. On June 25, tragedy struck when Mr Shim and his girlfriend were hit by a reckless driver who was fleeing police at the intersection of Hale Road and Tonkin Highway in Forrestfield at about 10.17pm. Mitchell Boskov, 26, was driving a white Nissan Navara utility when he allegedly ran a red light and smashed into Mr Shim’s blue Ford Falcon station wagon. Mr Boskov was charged with manslaughter, reckless driving to escape a police pursuit, reckless driving causing bodily harm in circumstances of aggravation, and driving without authority. Mr Shim’s girlfriend received non-life-threatening injuries. The loss of the 22-year-old, who was living in Kalamunda, has rocked the Perth Hills community, according to long-term resident Linda Harrup. Ms Harrup met with Mr Shim’s mother, father and brother on Wednesday when they arrived in Perth to bring their son home. “I don’t know this family, I didn’t know who they are, all I knew is their son is the same age as my son and that could’ve been him like we drive through there all the time so I just had to find them and they are beautiful,” she said. “If your child was in another country you would want people looking after him and after the family and that’s what we do in Australia we help people.” Ms Harrup said meeting the family was extremely emotional but it helped her grieve the loss of a close friend who died in a car accident a few months ago. “We basically just sat there hugging each other for the first minute,” she said. “His mum just fell apart in my arms... we shared lots of tears today, and photos, “So much was communicated through the photos that they showed me of him in Australia and you could just see he was embracing it with his whole heart, it was evident from sitting with the family that he would’ve been a beautiful person.” Ms Harrup has started a GoFundMe on behalf of the Perth hills community in an attempt to ease the financial pressure the Shim family is facing. “I will also be approaching the Kalamunda Shire to see if there is the possibilty of recognising Junbo in some way in one of our parks,” he said. “A reminder to all of us that we have adopted this young man as one of ours, “I told the family today they are now one of ours, a hills family who we will always remember.”