Matildas superstar Sam Kerr is mourning her beloved grandmother Coral after her death aged 90.
The sad news was confirmed by Kerr’s management on Tuesday, about 10 months after Coral was left with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a ute in Perth.
‘Though you no longer walk beside us, your presence is felt in every shared memory and quiet reflections,’ Coral’s obituary read.
‘Be at peace knowing you will never be forgotten.
‘Mum and Mum-in-law to Phillip and Dominique, grandmother to Dylan, Kasi, Logan, Jake and Britoni. Great grandmother to Saskia, Ophelia, Abel, Ivar, Jake.’
Coral Kerr was hit by the ute after she stepped off a bus just metres from her home in the Perth suburb of Palmyra on December 27 last year.
Sam Kerr is pictured with her grandmother Coral, who has passed away aged 90
Coral is pictured celebrating her 90th birthday with family and friends in April
Sam’s father Roger (left) is pictured giving a speech at the celebration for Coral (right), who stunned her relatives by walking unassisted despite being left in a critical condition when she was hit by a ute in December last year
The horrific incident left her in critical condition with multiple fractures and internal injuries, forcing her into months of hospitalisation and rehabilitation.
The ute driver, Mark John Britt, 63, has been charged with one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm after it was alleged that he had mounted the kerb in an attempt to overtake the bus before crashing into Ms Kerr.
Sam Kerr was at her Matildas teammate Emily van Egmond’s wedding in the Hunter Valley in NSW when she heard the dreadful news.
The Chelsea star rushed back to Perth with her parents Roger and Roxanne and was met by her brother, former West Coast Eagles AFL star Daniel, at the airport.
Coral staged a miraculous recovery that left her able to walk unaided into her 90th birthday celebrations in April.
‘I never thought I’d see this age and after that accident,’ she said at the party, which was full of her family and friends.
‘Fortunately, I have no recollection whatsoever [of the accident].
‘I had a broken pelvis, a broken shin, I’ve got a rod in my leg and I had a fracture on this ankle.’
The Matildas star left her teammate Emily van Egmond’s wedding in NSW and flew back to Perth with her parents when news of Coral’s accident broke
Coral (pictured) said she was ‘very close’ with Sam
Pictured: The scene after Coral Kerr was hit by a ute when she stepped off a bus just metres from her Perth home
Her grandsons Daniel and Levi Kerr praised their grandmother’s incredible strength and positive spirit through her recovery.
‘She’s gone through her rehabilitation really well,’ Daniel said. ‘It’s really nice to just be here in general.’
Levi was particularly moved to see his grandmother arrive at the birthday party under her own power.
‘She walked into the room, which was a massive achievement,’ he said.
Sam Kerr was in London at the time of the 90th birthday party but posted a message to her Instagram followers saying, ‘Thank you for all the messages, love & prayers for my Nan.’
Coral said she and the world-famous footballer were ‘very close’.
After the accident, Roger Kerr revealed his mother had ‘never been under anaesthetic in her life’ before the accident and hailed her as a ‘real strong lady’.
Coral’s family and neighbours had feared the worst when she was struck, with bystanders rushing to her side as she lay unconscious on the pavement.
‘She really wasn’t responding too much, she was very sweaty and clammy… I think she was in shock obviously,’ her neighbour Mary Ivey recalled.
