'I discovered he'd been killed on Facebook... it was 19 days after our wedding'

An Adelaide mum has told of the painful discovery almost 18 months ago when she discovered the news of her husband's death on Facebook - just 19 days after they married.  

An Adelaide mum has told of the painful discovery almost 18 months ago when she discovered the news of her husband's death on Facebook - just 19 days after they married. 

Sammy's calls to Bradley started going to voicemail one evening almost 18 months  ago while she was visiting her mum's place with her best friend.

It was late September 2021, and the happy couple had only been married 19 days earlier – so Sammy couldn’t understand why her new husband wasn’t picking up.

But then she saw a post on the South Australian Police Facebook page that announced a fatal car accident had just occurred near the small town of Kersbrook, just out of Adelaide.

“I was sitting next to my mum and best friend… I looked at them both and said, ‘I know that’s Bradley,’ - I had that gut feeling,” the mum-of-two told Kidspot.

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Sammy and Bradley had two kids together - and had married just 19 days before the fatal crash. Source: Supplied to Kidspot

"I was 10 minutes away from the crash site when the police called"

Sammy immediately started calling hospitals, hoping that Bradley might have just been injured in the crash and taken in for treatment.

When that was unsuccessful, she then loaded her four-year-old son Leo, sister Jamiee and best friend Brianna into the car and drove straight to the crash site to work out what was going on.

Although she didn't know why Bradley would have been driving in the Kersbrook area, she had a gut feeling he had been involved in the accident. 

She was 10 minutes away when her phone finally rang.

It was the police, who asked her to turn around and meet them at the home she and Bradley shared.

“I hopped out the car and looked at the two police officers holding a white card,” Sammy emotionally recalls.

“I turned my back and said, ‘don’t you dare say it - don’t you dare tell me he’s dead’.

“Within that exact moment I felt like the world had just crumbled, my whole world fell apart within a couple of seconds.

“I remember screaming and screaming and my best friend telling me to hold it together because my son was right there.”

RELATED: Dad doesn’t blame driver in crash that killed his daughter

Sammy and Bradley had been married just 19 days before he died in a car accident. Pictures: Freezing the Moment Photography. Source: Supplied to Kidspot

"My husband and I married 19 days before he died in a car accident"

Sammy couldn’t believe that just 19 days earlier, she and Bradley had celebrated the happiest moment of their lives when they tied the knot in front of their family and friends.

The lead-up to the wedding had been stressful as the pair hadn’t known if COVID restrictions would allow the big day to go ahead – but thankfully, the whole thing went off without a hitch.

“On the day, we were both so nervous… I remember calling him at 5am just to hear his voice and listen to him tell me he loved me.

“Hands down my favourite moment of the whole day was right before I walked down the aisle, I rang him nervous as hell because I was scared about everyone looking at me.

“All he told me was, ‘walk down those stairs straight at me… don’t worry about anyone else, just come be my wife’.

“He always knew exactly what to say when I needed to hear it.

“I was extremely emotional on the day - I think I cried happy tears every five minutes.”

This was the Facebook post that Sammy saw about the fatal crash that killed Bradley. Source: Facebook

"Telling my son that Daddy was gone was the worst moment"

Sammy could never have expected to find herself curled in the driveway sobbing tears of pain and anguish just 19 days later.

But unfortunately, that was exactly where she found herself after her new husband Bradley died in a horror car accident when his vehicle hit a tree.

Sammy describes the days after Bradley’s death as her “hardest on earth” – explaining she just wanted him to be there.

She says that one of the worst moments of that time was telling four-year-old Leo that his dad wasn’t coming home.

“I explained that Daddy is now in the sky always watching us - my little Leo is a smart boy he knew what that meant… we still spend our nights crying ourselves to sleep.”

Sammy adds that although the couple’s other child, one-year-old Nayvah, was too young to be included in that conversation – the toddler still knows something has happened.

“I noticed a massive change in her… she was talking, walking interacting with people and it’s all suddenly stopped - she longs for the day her daddy will come home.”

RELATED: Mum struggles to cope with sudden death of her husband

Sammy struggled to cope after her husband died in a car accident. Source: Supplied to Kidspot

"I'd do anything to go back in time and keep my husband safe"

It’s now been nearly two months since Bradley tragically passed away – and Sammy is understandably still struggling to cope without him.

She still “can’t sleep or eat properly” and often finds herself crying with their son Leo as they continue to adjust to life without Bradley.

To make matters worse, Sammy still doesn't know why Bradley was "travelling up" in Kersbrook where his car crashed. 

“I’d do anything to go back in time and keep him safe.”

As the grieving family prepares for their first Christmas without Bradley, Sammy readily admits that she doesn't know how she will make it through. 

"It's hard because it was Bradley's favourite time of year - he always wanted to give the kids what we didn't have growing up.

"I'm fortunate enough to have amazing friends and family that are travelling high and low to make this Christmas the biggest and best for me and my babies.

"I’m also still including him in absolutely everything, so his stocking will still go up and his Christmas ball will still be hanging on the tree.

“Appreciate life, appreciate your partners and never take life for granted.”

Originally published as 'I discovered he'd been killed on Facebook... it was 19 days after our wedding'