Heartbroken relatives of Home and Away actress Jessica Falkholt made sure she was not alone in hospital while her parents and sister were buried.
Close friends stayed with the rising TV star during the funeral, holding a bedside vigil as she remains in a coma in St George Hospital, Sydney, after the Boxing Day crash.
The 28-year-old’s father Lars, 69, mother Vivian, 60, and sister Annabelle, 21, were all farewelled in a joint service in front of hundreds of mourners on Wednesday.
A relative of the Falkholt family told Daily Mail Australia they had made it a priority for the constant support Jessica has received since the accident to continue during the time of the funeral.
Friends of Home and Away actress Jessica Falkholt (pictured) sat by her hospital bedside as her parents and sister were farewelled in a funeral service on Wednesday
Lars, 69, and Vivian Falkholt, 60, and their daughter Annabelle, 21, were farewelled at a service at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Sydney
The heartbroken uncle of Home and Away star Jessica Falkholt tearfully told mourners their family will forever be haunted by Christmas – the last time they were all together
Friends and family stand with wreaths and photos of the deceased trio as the coffins left St Mary’s Catholic Church in Sydney’s inner west after the service
Lars, 69, and Vivian Falkholt, 60, (L) were killed instantly in the head-on accident on the NSW South Coast, while their daughter Annabelle, 21, (2nd from right) died in hospital days later
‘We made sure Jess wasn’t alone and her friends were able to be there with her,’ the relative said.
‘Everything we have done and every decision we have made has been done with the advice of doctors and social workers. No decision is made without Jessica’s wants in mind.
‘Jess was a very private girl and while we’re thankful for public thoughts and interest, we are just trying to honor what she’d want.’
The family is currently playing a ‘waiting game’ on the condition of the actress, with doctors telling them it could be weeks or months before her recovery time is known.
She underwent surgery in the days following the crash but more than two weeks on is still clinging to life in a critical condition.
‘We’re not going to know much about Jessica’s real condition for a while,’ a relative told Daily Mail Australia in December.
‘The neurosurgeon came in and he just said the operation went well and it’s just a waiting game.
‘She could be in a coma for weeks or even months, she still has all the swelling on her brain.
Jessica (pictured) remains in a critical condition in St George Hospital more than two weeks after the crash, a hospital spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday
The orders of service featured the tragic last family photo of them together
Mourners bless the coffins with holy water under the supervision of Father Paul Crowley, who earlier left the service
Hundreds of mourners paid their respects as the coffins were loaded back into three hearses
The coffins were carried out of the church one-by-one with Annabelle’s boyfriend Jordan Brohier leading pall bearers on her white coffin
An honour guard of friends and family stood beside the coffins as they were brought out of the church to the hearses
‘They haven’t even been able to test her brain yet. They’ll probably have to wait a week or two now and see how she responds to the surgery.’
Jessica and Anabelle’s uncle Paul Ponticello told a packed funeral service at the church in Sydney’s inner-west that Christmas would forever haunt their family.
‘It is a day that will be difficult to erase from our memory,’ he said.
‘Their lives on this earth ending on a highway makes absolutely no sense.’
Mr Ponticello also thanked the ‘saviours’ who risked their lives to pull Annabelle and Jessica from the inferno.
He said Mr Falkholt had always been a careful driver and he would often joke about having to add on time to any trip, which he called the ‘Lars factor’.
‘The irony of this tragedy is Lars was such a careful driver,’ Mr Ponticello said.
Numerous photos were included in funeral materials handed out to mourners
Photos detailed the couple’s two daughters growing up including a picture of the family dog
Others included the Falkholt’s wedding photos and portraits from when they were young
One of the Falkholt daughters is seen smiling with curly blonde hair in a school photos, alongside many others from their childhood
More photos from the family’s home life shows the daughters growing up, celebrating their birthdays and attending school formals
Jessica is pictured meeting her baby sister alongside her parents, alongside old photos of the couple
Holy water is flicked on to Annabelle’s coffin by a loved one before it is taken away
Distraught friends and family walk to pay their respects at the coffins, still carrying the wreaths they held as the caskets left the church
Mourners shed tears as they watch the coffins be loaded into hearses to be driven to the cemetary
‘Whenever asking how long it would take to drive somewhere I would suggest an average for a normal driver and then add some additional time for the Lars factor. We always had a good laugh.
‘They are together and always will be… You will always be remembered and in our hearts forever. Rest in Peace.’
Three hearses, one white and two black, parked outside the church before mourners lifted them out and wheeled them inside.
Two of the coffins were a stained brown wood topped with white lilies, while the other was all white with colourful casket spray.
Family members of Vivian’s family flew from Italy for the service, while a service was also held for Lars in his homeland of Sweden.
Mourners were seen outside the church lining up for orders of service, featuring the tragic last family photo of them together, set up on a table outside.
Three hearses arrived at the church on Wednesday morning carrying the family’s coffins
One of the coffins is seen being brought inside before the funeral began on Wednesday morning
The parents and younger sister of Home and Away star Jessica Falkholt are being laid to rest at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Sydney
Another of the coffins, topped with white lilies, is wheeled inside the church
Friends and family of the family arrive for the funeral wearing solid black dresses
Mourners stream into the church, collecting orders of service from a table set up out the front
Mourners stop to talk as they stand in line outside the church with the funeral soon to begin
A small child hugs another mourner as attendees begin to enter the church
Mourners hold hands as they walk towards the entrance to the church on Wednesday morning
A cluster of mourners congregate outside and embrace as they prepare to enter the church
Two mourners study the order of service before they enter the church for the funeral
Hundreds attended the service and had to queue up to get their orders of service on the way in
A priest seen outside the church as mourners stream inside before the funeral
Mourners shed tears as they embrace outside St Mary’s Catholic Church where the trio will be given their send-off
Orders of service include the tragic final family photo of the mother, father and daughter
Damage to the left side of the brain can potentially impact personality and memory.
Her relatives admitted they were grappling with how to explain she was the sole survivor of the horror smash.
Craig Anthony Whitall, 50, a serial driving offender who was behind the wheel of the other vehicle, was also killed in the crash.
Mr Whitall, a P-plater, was reportedly driving home from a methadone clinic when the collision occurred.
The coronial investigation into the crash will focus on whether Mr Whitall was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.
Mourners embrace outside the church before going inside to start the funeral on Wednesday morning
A man embraces a woman before they go inside the church with the funeral soon to begin
Mourners stop to comfort each other and the church’s steps before they go inside
Doctors reportedly told the family it could be weeks or even months before doctors – who removed part of Jessica’s skull and kidney – knew how severe the damage to her brain was (crash scene pictured)