The shattered family of a man killed by an alleged disqualified driver on the run from police have revealed his children are still waiting for him to return home.
Qantas traffic controller Lual Awan Lueth, 49, was on his way to work at Sydney Airport about 4am on Tuesday when his Toyota Corolla was struck by a Holden sedan on the Great Western Highway in St Marys in Sydney’s west.
The refugee from South Sudan was killed instantly while the 43-year-old driver of the sedan allegedly fled from the crash site on foot but was arrested a short time later in a nearby backyard.
The sedan driver, who police alleged was disqualified from driving and known to police was taken to Nepean Hospital under police guard.
Yuol Yuol told Seven News that some of his uncle’s seven children still don’t know their father won’t be coming home. The youngest is just five-years-old.
‘We haven’t told them yet,’ he said.
‘They can see something’s not right. Everyone’s distraught.’
Mr Yuol added that his uncle didn’t deserve to die.
Lual Awan Lueth, 49, died on Tuesday morning, on his way to work as an air traffic controller
Shattered relatives were unable to contain their grief when they visited the crash site
‘Still can’t really believe it’s actually happened,’ Mr Yuol said.
‘I can’t really wrap my head around it.’
A local clergyman said the loss was felt strongly by Mr Lueth’s family.
‘This innocent man was going to work to make sure he provides for his family, but his life has just ended,’ Reverend Samuel John said.
‘The community is right now devastated.
‘It will never be the same again for the family.’
Ropes Crossing Strikers Football Club president Adam Hartas has since started a GoFundMe page to help relieve the financial burden on Mr Lueth’s family.
‘He was a hardworking man, and a leader and hero in his community,’ he wrote.
‘Mr Lueth was part of the Ropes Crossing FC community, with three of his sons playing for Ropes Crossing FC in 2024.
‘As a club and community, we want to support the family as much as possible.’
One of Mr Lueth’s sons is also a rising star in the Western Sydney Wanderers academy.
The page has already raised almost $10,000 within a day.
Mr Lueth has been remembered as a ‘hardworking’ man who provided for his wife and kids
Mr Lueth was killed in the crash on the Great Western Highway at St Marys about 4am
Earlier on Wednesday, Daily Mail Australia revealed that Mr Lueth was a hero of the Sudanese civil war.
Nyarweng Community Australia president Gabriel Thon Deng described Mr Lueth’s death as a ‘painful blow’ to the local Sudanese community.
Mr Lueth was a member of the Nyarweng ethnic group in Jonglei state in Southern Sudan which was torn apart by the Sudanese civil war that began in 1983 and lasted 22 years.
The war left the majority of people in the area – which has a population of almost 1.2million – starving with no access to clean water, healthcare, or education.
‘There are no words to adequately express the shock and grief felt by all who knew him,’ Mr Deng said.
Qantas air traffic controller Lual Awan Lueth was on his way to work when tragedy struck
Police have launched a critical incident into the crash in St Marys (scene pictured)
‘Lual was a true hero, defending Nyarweng land and transforming the lives of many, especially within his family.
‘He was a hardworking man with many skills, admired by those around him.
‘As we mourn this tremendous loss, we extend our deepest condolences to the immediate family.’
Deng Majak Piok added that Mr Luerth was the chairperson of the Duk Community in Sydney. Duk is a county in Jonglei, a state of South Sudan.
‘His death has saddened us to lose such a great person at this earliest time,’ Mr Piok said.
‘Late Lual was a great friend whom we shared the histories of our journeys.
‘On behalf of Duk community in Sydney, I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to his family and extended family.’
The Holden then hit a silver Toyota Corolla hatchback (pictured)
Devastated loved ones are seen running to the crash site on Tuesday
‘May God rest his soul in peace.’
Police were patrolling in a fully marked car on Mamre Road during the early hours of Tuesday when they spotted the sedan and thought the driver was acting suspicious.
The driver then allegedly accelerated away towards the Great Western Highway and the police followed but lost sight of the car.
The officers came across the crash scene a short time later. They gave first aid to Mr Lueth, but despite their best efforts, he could not be saved.
North West Metropolitan Region Commander Gavin Wood described Mr Lueth’s death as a ‘tragedy beyond belief’.
‘You have an innocent 49-year-old male going to work, and he doesn’t go to work, and he doesn’t go home. His family don’t get to see him … For that poor man, and his family and friends, their life has changed in this instant.’
The 43-year-old sedan driver remains in hospital. Charges are expected to be laid.
A crime scene has been established and a critical incident team from North Shore Police Area Command was investigating.
The investigation is also subject to an independent review.
Anyone with dashcam footage, CCTV vision or information about the incident is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk