Furious relatives of the Falkholts have lashed out at the ‘rank scumbag’ who ‘cut off a whole branch’ of their family tree in the shocking car crash last Boxing Day.
As they prepare to gather next week to watch the premiere of actress Jessica’s final film, relatives said they had mixed emotions, feeling both ‘sad and proud’.
The movie, Harmony: The Five Frequencies, was finished just weeks before the crash that killed Jessica, 28, her sister Annabelle, 21, and their parents Lars, 69 and Vivian, 60 near Ulladulla, on the NSW south coast.
The family will be given a private screening before the movie, which was expected to be Jessica’s ‘big break’ , is released to the public in the coming months.
Having had more than two months to stew on the unnecessary deaths of their loved ones, extended family members have decided it is now time to speak out and ensure ‘this never happens to anyone else’.
Furious relatives of the Falkholt’s (pictured) have lashed out at the ‘rank scumbag’ who wiped a whole branch of their family tree off the map in a shocking head-on crash on Boxing Day 2017
Home and Away star Jessica (pictured), 28, died in hospital more than a fortnight after the car accident near Ulladulla, on the NSW south coast
The budding actress had her life support switched off a day after her parents Lars, 69, Vivian, 60 and sister Annabelle, 21, were laid to rest (pictured)
After making a name for herself in Home and Away the lead role in the Australian film was expected to catapult Jessica’s career to the next level.
‘Jess was so talented and this will be great for the family to come together as one’, a family members said.
‘It’ll be a real mix of emotions, both sad and proud, and we know how proud her two parents were of her. I’m sure they’ll all be watching on too.’
Serial driving offender Craig Anthony Whitall was heading home from a methadone clinic when he crossed onto to the wrong side of the road and smashed into them.
As relatives of the Falkholts struggle to come to terms with the accident, they say it’s their priority to ensure changes are made to stop similar crashes from happening.
‘The main thing is what can be done to stop this happening again,’ a close relative told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Some of us wish to move on quietly, but it’s about making sure their deaths were not in vain and that laws are made to protect other families from the same horrors.
‘I’m still looking at photos today of our lovely family shaking my head thinking how’d this ever come about.
‘A rank scumbag’: Devastated relatives told Daily Mail Australia now is the right time to speak out and call for change to ensure no other family has to go through the grief they experienced
As the Falkholt family (pictured) headed back to Sydney for Christmas celebrations on Boxing Day, disaster struck in the form of Craig Anthony Whitall’s reckless driving
Darren Collier and Lisa Elmas, two passing motorists who rushed towards the crash and pulled Jessica and Annabelle from the wreck, this week received the Pride of Australia medal
‘It is a sad indictment that, after working so hard as decent people and contributing to society, their golden years were taken from them by this absolute rank scumbag.’
The tight-knit family had spent the Christmas holidays at Ulladulla, on the NSW south cost.
It was a chance to relax together with Jessica having spent the previous weeks away from home due to getting her big break.
But as they headed back to Sydney for further Christmas celebrations on December 26, disaster struck in the form of Whitall’s reckless driving.
The impact of the crash killed Lars and Vivian instantly, while Jessica and Annabelle were pulled from the wreckage by brave motorists.
Two of them, Darren Collier and Lisa Elmas, this week received the Pride of Australia medal for their efforts.
Serial driving offender Craig Anthony Whitall was driving home from a methadone clinic when he crossed onto to the wrong side of the road, causing the crash
The family-of-four lost their lives in a deadly fireball as they returned to Sydney from a holiday
In particular they want it to be illegal to drive on methadone, barriers to stop drivers crossing onto the wrong side on that stretch of road and first aid kits in every car.
‘We need politicians and law makers to debate measures to put good members of society first,’ the family member said.
‘The laws, as they are, appear to favour the perpetrators and do very little to protect victims, why is that?
‘There’s obviously much that has been left unsaid and that will stay so until we know more about the events leading up to this disgraceful, heartbreaking event.’