“He had a heart of gold.”
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These were the words of Jake Chaffey’s sister Kayla about her beloved brother this week.
Jake, 21, of Cootamundra tragically lost his life in a car accident on Tuesday.
About 10.20pm, four people, including Jake, were travelling in a Ford Festiva along the Great Western Highway at Yetholme, about 17km east of Bathurst.
It’s believed the vehicle veered and left the roadway, hitting a tree, in a 40 km/h roadworks zone.
Emergency services were called, however the front passenger, an 18-year-old woman from Young, died at the scene.
The 24-year-old male driver, also from Young, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Orange Hospital.
A 31-year-old Lithgow woman, travelling in the rear of the car, suffered multiple fractures and was taken to Liverpool Hospital, where she remained in a stable condition yesterday.
Jake, who was also travelling in the back of the car, was airlifted to Liverpool Hospital and died on Wednesday morning in hospital.
Tragically, the group had been picking the Lithgow woman up to return to the district for the funeral of Cootamundra girl Rickie-lee Atkinson.
Jake had lived in town with his father Paddy. He attended Cootamundra Public School then Cootamundra High School before enrolling at Cootamundra TAFE to study mechanics.
He would later switch to construction studies at TAFE.
He was known to all as a kind-hearted soul who always put the needs of others, in particular his nearest and dearest friends, first.
Kayla, 24, wants her brother to be remembered for the beautiful person he was, not as a road statistic.
“People need to think before they get in the car,” Kayla said.
“Cars are not a toy and to those driving, it is not just your life you’re playing with, it is everyone else in the car,” she added.
Funeral details will be arranged after the release of his body by the coroner.
Investigations on the crash circumstances are ongoing.
