Home And Away actress Jessica Falkholt has died, three weeks after a devastating Boxing Day car crash that killed her parents and sister. The 29-year-old Australian star had been in a coma since the accident and died after life support was withdrawn.
Jessica was travelling with her father Lars, 69, mother Vivien, and sister Annabelle, 21, on December 26, 2017, when a previously disqualified driver, Craig Anthony Whitall, crossed the central line of a motorway near Sydney and collided with their car. Lars and Vivien died instantly. Hero motorists pulled Jessica and Annabelle from the wreckage moments before both cars burst into flames.
Annabelle died three days later. Jessica underwent emergency surgery to remove a kidney and part of her skull but never regained consciousness. Doctors withdrew treatment on January 11, 2018, and she died six days later. Her family's funeral had taken place the day before, with hundreds of mourners attending.
Jessica played the role of Hope Morrison on Home And Away in 2016, appearing in 16 episodes. Her uncle Paul Ponticello paid tribute to the family at the funeral, saying: 'Their lives ending on a highway makes absolutely no sense. We take comfort in knowing that they are together and always will be.'
