The family of a 14-year-old boy who was left to die after a hit-and-run in Australia is calling for tougher laws and sentencing.
Bryson Dimovski was riding his e-scooter home in Warners Bay, New South Wales, in July 2023 when he was hit by a 21-year-old driver who was looking at his phone. The driver, Jaycob Gemza, pulled over but drove off a short time later without calling for help. Bryson's body was not found by police until six hours later.
Family and friends of Bryson drove past the site of the crash several times that night, unaware that his body was metres away, the Mail reports.
Driver jailed for five years
Earlier this year, Gemza pleaded guilty to failing to stop and assist, and to negligent and dangerous driving, in Newcastle Local Court. The maximum sentence for each charge is 10 years' jail. He was jailed for five years but will be eligible for parole after three years and three months. He could be freed as early as February 2029.
Before sentencing Gemza, Judge Paul Marr asked everyone in the packed courtroom to turn off their phones and not switch them back on until they arrived home. He said to the courtroom: "They [phones] are a distraction to you and to me. We each share a responsibility to others on the road. Don't do it for me, do it for Bryson Dimovski. Are they worth the life of a child? The answer will be 'no'."
Family campaigns for 'Bryson's Law'
Bryson's parents are also campaigning to extend the four-hour drug and alcohol testing window after the court heard that Gemza had drank three beers at a pub before getting behind the wheel. Gemza handed himself in to police after seeing a post about Bryson being missing, but as it was hours after the fatal hit-and-run it was too late for him to be tested for drugs and alcohol.
After a 20,000-strong petition for 'Bryson's Law' was rejected by NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley, the Dimovskis have vowed to continue fighting so other families don't have to face similar struggles.
Bryson's father Andrew told A Current Affair: "He just left him there. He ran back to his car, drove off and left Bryson for dead. Like he was nothing, [but] he wasn't nothing." His wife Melissa added: "He was left there like roadkill. Not being able to hold him when he passed is something very distressing as a mother."
Bryson's mother said: "We've got a life sentence, he doesn't have a life sentence." Mr Dimovski said: "It's not about revenge. It's about accountability. It's about deterrence, so no other family walks in our shoes. And if we can turn our pain into something that might help someone else, then it's worth it." "Bryson deserved nothing less than this," his mum added.
