Adelaide dad dies from injuries days after Lochiel crash took life of son and son’s partner

The Adelaide dad of a young man killed in a car crash with his partner at Christmas has died in hospital. In a tribute, his surviving sons described him as “the best father”.

An Adelaide father critically injured in a crash in the state’s mid north has died in hospital — days after the horror collision took the life of his teenage son and his girlfriend.

Jaxson Montague, 19 and Ashanti Lee Smith, 17 were killed on December 27 when the car they were travelling in crashed into a tree on the Augusta Highway at Lochiel.

Jaxson’s 46-year-old father, known as Daryl, who was supervising his son driving on his L-plates, was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious injuries.

He died in hospital on December 30.

Father of Jaxson Montague, known as Daryl, later died from injuries sustained during the horror crash at Lochiel. Picture: Facebook

Daryl’s son Logan Montague shared an emotional post on social media, paying tribute to the “best father anyone could ask for”.

“This breaks my heart, Dad,” he said.

“You were the best father anyone could ask for, you’ll always be in our hearts.

“I love you so much … Dean and myself will make you proud I promise.

Daryl’s son Dean Monatague also shared a photo collage of his father and Jaxson with a caption “Rest in Paradise”.

“Fly high my kings … I love you so much,” the post read.

Jaxson Montague and Ashanti Lee Smith have been remembered by friends and family as “true loves”. Picture: Facebook

Jaxson and Ashanti have been remembered by family and friends as “true loves”.

Logan posted to Facebook remembering the “king and queen”.

“Rest in peace to my beautiful younger brother and his pretty girlfriend,” he wrote.

“You will forever be in our hearts, you’s didn’t deserve this.

“I love you little bro. Two beautiful souls gone too early, forever together.”

Friend of Jaxson, Cassandra Seal, who called the 19-year-old her “brother” began raising funds for the families of the teenagers.

“They didn’t deserve what happened to them … so many people have broken hearts because of losing them,” she wrote on GoFundMe.

Ashanti’s grandmother, Elizabeth Smith, posted a Facebook tribute to her cherished granddaughter, writing that the families’ “hearts are broken”.“This is nightmare, I wish was just that we would wake up and all is okay,” she wrote.

The couple, who were both from Port Pirie, had been together since July last year.