Sam Kerr has joined her parents Roger and Roxanne to fly home to Perth following the news that her grandmother is in critical condition after being hit by a ute.
The Matildas captain, 31, arrived at Sydney Domestic Airport on Saturday morning to catch a flight back to Perth to be by her grandmother Coral Kerr’s hospital bed.
Coral, 89, stepped off a bus in the southwest suburb of Palmyra at about 11am on Friday local time when a ute driver allegedly collided with a power pole and then hit her.
She is fighting for her life in hospital after the shocking incident, which occurred just metres from her Perth home, with Sam and her parents all flying back to support her.
Stepping out at the airport, Sam looked sombre as she said farewell to her pregnant fiancée Kristie Mewis, 33, who did not appear to be travelling with the Kerr family.
Sam cut a low profile in a black T-shirt and green shorts, which she wore with a black hoodie as she arrived for her flight.
Sam Kerr joined her parents Roger and Roxanne in flying home to Perth following the news that her grandmother is in critical condition after being hit by a ute
Coral, 89, stepped off a bus in the southwest suburb of Palmyra at about 11am on Friday local time when a ute driver allegedly hit her
Stepping out at the airport, Sam looked sombre as she said farewell to her fiancée Kristie Mewis, 33, who did not appear to be travelling with the Kerrs
Sam’s parents Roger and Roxanne were seen sharing tight embraces with her partner Kristie as she rallied around to support the family at the difficult time.
Sam and her parents put on a united display as they travelled back to Perth together to be with Coral, who is Sam’s paternal grandmother.
On Friday night, Coral was said to be in a serious but stable condition, a hospital spokesman told the West Australian.
Pictures from the Palmyra scene showed the ute featuring extensive damage to its bonnet after the vehicle allegedly hit a power pole before striking down Coral.
Coral’s neighbours and bus passengers who witnessed the crash rushed to help her as she lay on the grassy area next to the footpath.
‘She really wasn’t responding too much, she was very sweaty and clammy… I think she was in shock obviously,’ neighbour Mary Ivey told 9News.
Witnesses alleged there were cars lined up behind the bus and the ute driver had tried to overtake it.
A 63-year-old man, from Willagee, has been charged with one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
And the Matildas captain, 31, arrived at Sydney Domestic Airport on Saturday morning to catch a flight back to Perth to be by her grandmother Coral Kerr’s hospital bedside
Sam’s parents Roger and Roxanne were seen sharing tight embraces with Kristie as she rallied around to support the family at the difficult time
Sam cut a low profile in a black T-shirt and green shorts, which she wore with a black hoodie as she arrived for her flight
Sam’s father Roger looked sombre as he arrived at the airport with his family following his beloved mother’s hospitalisation
Sam and her parents were all seen rallying around to support one another as they arrived at the airport for their flight
Sam’s partner Kristie showed her support for the family as she hugged Roxanne while saying goodbye at the airport
Kristie, who is pregnant with her and Sam’s first child, cut a casual figure in black shorts and a grey hoodie
While she did not appear to be travelling with them, Kristie showed her support for Roger as she sweetly gave him a hug
She was also seen helping Roger with his suitcase as she rallied around to support Sam’s family
He will appear before the Fremantle Magistrates Court on February 4.
At the time, Sam and her parents were at the Hunter Valley winery Krinklewood Estate attending the wedding of Sam’s Matildas teammate Emily Van Egmond to her partner Kat Thompson.
It is understood that they learned of the tragedy while at the reception, with Roger hurriedly organising a flight back to Perth to be at his mother’s bedside.
Chelsea striker Sam and her partner Kristie, who hails from the US, had both been spending time with Sam’s family in Perth over the Christmas period.
The couple announced just weeks earlier in November that they were expecting their first child together, with Kristie showing off her baby bump in recent weeks.
Sam and Kristie started dating during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where they were seen together on the field after a match between Australia and the United States.
It is understood that the couple first met while they were both competing for clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League in the USA back in 2019.
They had spoken online for nearly four months during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, with the pair also believed to have spent two weeks in lockdown together.
Sam was seen kissing Kristie on the cheek as they said their goodbyes ahead of the flight
Sam was seen standing by and watching on as Kristie and her mother Roxanne shared a sweet moment
Kristie was seen giving some kind words to the family as they all spoke outside the airport ahead of the flight
Sam looked sombre during the outing as they all prepared to fly back to Perth to rally around Coral
Sam had been at the wedding of a Matildas teammate with her father Roger (both pictured), when she learned of the crash back in Perth
They publicly confirmed their relationship in August 2021 through an Instagram post and announced their engagement in November 2023.
Just one month after getting engaged, Massachusetts-native Kristie signed with West Ham United and moved to London to be closer to Sam.
But Sam has been sidelined since last December after she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a training camp with the south-west London club.
She was forced to undergo surgery and enter a rehabilitation period, ruling her out of the remainder of the 2023-2024 season.
