The family of a teenager injured in a horror crash have defended her unlicensed driver boyfriend, who was killed when their car smashed into a tree.
Jade Howlett, 18, suffered a broken arm but her boyfriend, 16-year-old Jack Patterson, died in the crash in eastern Perth on Friday after a chase with police.
Now, her family have paid tribute to Jack saying he was a ‘terrified kid’ who made a ‘bad decision’ which ended up costing him his life.
Jade and Jack were said to be inseparable but Jack was killed instantly when the car crashed in east Perth
Police had abandoned two chases before the Nissan Pulsar left the road and crashed into a tree
‘He was a good person and he didn’t deserve this. His family don’t deserve this,’ Jade’s sister Rachel said
Pictured is the car after it was totally from the collision which killed driver Jack Patterson
Mr Patterson was killed when the red Nissan Pulsar he was driving careered off the road in Hovea, leaving the car a mangled wreck and almost split in two by the impact.
The couple were said to be inseparable and tributes have been paid to the youngster with a ‘cheeky smile’.
It is reported that police had initiated a pursuit and caused Mr Patterson to try to avoid them. But officers had called off the chase before the crash, Western Australia Police said.
Two passengers, including Mr Patterson’s girlfriend, suffered less severe injuries in the crash but he died at the scene.
Miss Howlett was airlifted to hospital in the city while a second passenger, another 16-year-old boy, was freed from the wreckage after several hours.
‘They were soulmates, he was her world and she was his,’ words written by Jade’s sister on Facebook paying tribute to Jack
Her sister, Rachel, wrote on Facebook that words could not ‘begin to describe the heartache our families are feeling’.
She said: ‘A gorgeous, full of life young man had his life cut tragically short and we’d give anything to have him back.
‘In that moment he was just a terrified kid who made a bad decision.
‘My baby sister is lucky to be alive but her whole world has just been shattered. They were inseparable, they were soulmates, he was her world and she was his.
‘He was a good person and he didn’t deserve this. His family don’t deserve this. Jade doesn’t deserve this. Life will never be the same again for a lot of people.
‘Thank you for all the love and support from our nearest and dearest. Rest in peace Jack, you and your cheeky smile will forever be in our hearts.’
Jade suffered just a broken arm in the crash in Hovea, an eastern suburb in Perth and was airlifted to hospital
Suggestions Mr Patterson had answered the phone moments before the crash have been dismissed by both families, Seven reported.
That had been the subject of one of the lines of inquiry police were investigation following the fatal crash.
But police confirmed there had been a pursuit launched and abandoned on two occasions while a stinger was also laid on the road in an attempt to stop Mr Patterson’s vehicle.
A statement by Western Australia Police said: ‘The incident started about 5.30pm, when the Nissan Pulsar sedan came to the attention of a marked police vehicle.
‘The driver did not respond to police attempts to stop the vehicle and the incident was immediately reported to the Police Operations Centre (POC).
Police confirmed they had launched and abandoned two pursuits while a stinger was also laid
‘An Evade Police Incident was authorised but then terminated due to the dangerous manner of driving.
‘About 15 minutes after the vehicle was first sighted, it was again sighted, by an unmarked police vehicle.
‘The police vehicle was authorised by the POC to engage the vehicle in an intercept.
‘The driver of the Nissan Pulsar again refused to stop and evaded a police deployed stinger.’
Police said the pursuit was terminated for a second time at this point and the car was found crashed into a tree shortly afterwards.
An investigation is under way by police who have asked anyone who saw the red Nissan Pulsar in the Lockridge, Viveash or Midvale to Hovea areas prior to the crash, to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Jack died instantly at the scene of the crash on Friday night but Jade and another boy, 16, were lucky to survive