After what witnesses say was a “horrific” head-on car crash on Boxing Day, Annabelle Falkholt has died in Liverpool Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit from her injuries.
Annabelle, 21, was airlifted to Liverpool Hospital after sustaining critical injuries in a car crash on the morning of Dec. 26. The crash had already claimed the lives of both her parents and the second driver—all died on impact.
Annabelle was in the backseat of the car with her 28-year-old sister, Jessica Falkholt, a former “Home and Away” star.
Jessica Falkholt was also airlifted to another Sydney hospital in critical condition where she remains in a coma.
The Falkholts were on the way back to their Sydney home in the suburb of Ryde when the crash occurred around 10:45 a.m. on the Princes Highway at Mondayong, 400 meters north of the Bendalong turnoff on the NSW South Coast.
The driver of the other car was identified as 50-year-old Craig Anthony Whitall from the NSW South Coast town of Ulladulla.
Witnesses at the scene said that Whitall’s 4WD had drifted into oncoming traffic on the Princes Highway at least twice before it collided with the Falkholts Mazda, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
According to the newspaper, Whitall was driving home from a methadone clinic in Nowra. Methadone is an opioid often prescribed to heroin addicts to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
By itself, Methadone is not an illegal substance for drivers to use. It remains unclear whether Whitall was under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident as investigations continue.
Whitall was well-known to police for drug use and his long criminal history. Police said that Whitall had more than 60 offences on his record, as well as a number of aliases, the ABC reported.
According to Newscorp, Whitall had previously served time in jail for a conviction of driving while unlicensed.
When his car ploughed into the Falkholt family, Whitall was driving on a provisional license after getting his license back, reported the ABC.
Jessica Falkholt, who is also known for her role in “Underbelly: Badness,” is now the sole survivor of the horrific crash.
According to Jessica’s IMDB page, she starred in a film titled “Harmony” that was due to be released in 2018.
Relatives of the Falkholts have thanked by-stander Darien Collier for helping to pull both Annabelle and Jessica from the wreckage just before it went up in flames, reported the ABC.
