Home and Away actress Jessica Falkholt has tragically passed away after her life support was switched off one day after the funeral of her parents and sister.
The 29-year-old actress was involved in a Boxing Day crash while traveling with her parents and sister. Her parents died on the scene of the crash while she and her sister were airlifted to the hospital. Her sister, Annabelle, 21, passed away on December 29 as a result of her injuries and was buried with their parents on Wednesday.
On Thursday night, Jessica had her life support switched off weeks after the horrific accident on the New South Wales south coast, making her the fifth victim of the Boxing Day crash that killed her parents and sister.
Her heartbroken family had kept a bedside vigil in the Intensive Care Unit at St George Hospital where she was in a medically induced coma. They had previously told Daily Mail Australia an operation on her brain had gone well and were waiting for the results of the surgery. She passed away surrounded by loved ones who have refused to leave her side since the devastating incident.
At the Wednesday funeral which held for Jessica's parents and her sister Annabelle at St Mary's Catholic Church at Concord in Sydney's west, Jordan Brohier, the shattered boyfriend of Annabelle, led pall bearers as they carried the 21-year-old's white coffin out of the church.
Dressed in a black suit and tie, he buried his face in his hands and was comforted by friends after helping load the casket into a hearse ready to be taken away for burial.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital where Jessica was still in coma, friends and family surrounded Jessica from her hospital bed during and after the funeral, saying it was important she had support.
"We made sure Jess wasn't alone and her friends were able to be there with her,' a relative said. "Everything we have done and every decision we have made has been done with the advice of doctors and social workers. No decision is made without Jessica's wants in mind. Jess was a very private girl and while we're thankful for public thoughts and interest, we are just trying to honor what she'd want."
The car which collided with Jessica's family's car was being driven by Craig Anthony Whitall, 50, a serial driving offender. He had previously been subject to a nine-year driving ban and had at least 10 convictions for driving while disqualified. He was also killed in the crash.
