Mother of crash victim Nate Stewart shares road safety message one year after incident near Geraldton
The mother of a boy who was tragically killed in a car crash near Geraldton last year has spoken out about her grief and the need for drivers to step up.
Nate Stewart, 7, and his step-sister Harmonie Cunningham, 10, died after their car was ripped apart in the horror two-car collision on June 1 at the intersection of Edward and McCartney roads, about 25km from Geraldton.
Nate’s mother Amy Scott yesterday recounted the moment when her life “ended in a lot of ways” after being informed of Nate’s death, four hours after the fatal crash.
“My dad had to give me the information at his house and honestly it is like you see in the movies — falling to the ground screaming ... all I remember is screaming, ‘why, why, why’,” she told ABC radio.
“That is the memory I have every day when I think about this, is that moment where my life changed and my life ended in a lot of ways.”
Ms Scott remembered her dimpled and freckled son as feisty and full of life.
“It is really hard to be speaking about it because I feel like he could walk into this office now and I wouldn’t be surprised, even a year later because I am still in such deep shock,” she said. This was not the first time Ms Scott has been affected by traffic accidents, losing her grandmother in a 1976 crash when the other driver was allegedly under the influence of alcohol.
Ms Scott underwent back surgery after another driver allegedly rear-ended her car while she was waiting at a red light on the day she received her driver’s licence.
Earlier this year a friend was killed in an alleged hit-and-run in High Wycombe.
Passionate about spreading the message of National Road Safety Week, Ms Scott urged drivers to do their bit to prevent tragedies.
“The bottom line to most of these road crashes is they are preventable and there are things humans can do to make changes of their own behaviour,” she said.
“A lot of people think they don’t drink or they don’t do drugs when they drive, but there are other things they can do to prevent accidents on the road such as (not) being distracted on the roads.”
Nate’s step-mother Stacey Cunningham was at the wheel when the accident occurred and has been charged with careless driving and being under the influence of drugs.
She has pleaded not guilty to four charges and will appear in court again next month.
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