Joel Betts travelling to make a fresh start on day of fatal crash

Joel Betts was on his way to visit his Dad when tragedy struck on a notorious stretch of the Bruce Hwy this month. What police believe caused that accident has strangely helped his devastated parents, who have revealed for the first time what happened.

Thirty-two year old Joel Betts was remembered by his heartbroken family as 'a loving, loyal man' and devoted father.

When Joel Betts left his Gladstone home to spend time with his father in Toowoomba, the last trip he would take in his beloved Subaru Forester, his mother Louise missed the opportunity to go through the familiar farewell ritual they would normally share.

Joel left the home he shared with Louise and three younger siblings at about 10.30pm on Saturday, April 6, excited about spending time with his father, Cameron, with whom he had reconnected about five years ago.

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“He said ‘I’m going for a cruise to spend some time with Dad’,” said Louise, her voice wavering at the memory.

“And I knew that, but it didn’t click to me at that moment that he was leaving then.

“So I didn’t give him that hug and I didn’t tell him that I loved him, and I didn’t do my normal ‘send me a message when you get there’.

“That was just a thing that we did, it was a really important thing for us.”

Joel's mother, Louise, rued not being able to share in their traditional farewell ritual when he left for his trip to visit his father in Toowoomba.

After leaving Louise’s home, Joel visited a couple of friends including his best mate Shaun, where he did some work on his car in preparation for the six-hour trip to Toowoomba.

At around 6.30am Joel left Shaun’s house to visit some of Shaun’s cousins, who made him get some sleep before heading off.

“They’ve said ‘no, you’re not driving, have a sleep, have something to eat and then go’,” Louise said.

After sleeping for a couple of hours Joel woke up, had some breakfast and a cup of coffee and set off on his trip.

According to police reports, his car left the Bruce Highway at Kolonga about 8.16am, colliding with a tree.

Investigators from the forensic crash unit told Louise that Joel’s car had driven straight across a bend and clipped a road sign, which caused the car to spin, impacting a tree directly on the driver’s side door.

Joel's first and favourite car was a white Subaru Liberty. "He loved the Subarus," Louise said.

“The policeman said if he hadn’t hit that traffic sign … he would have just ended up in a paddock,” Louise said.

While the coroner’s investigation is still ongoing, Louise said she has been told the most likely causes of the crash was fatigue or he was distracted by his mobile phone.

‘LOUISE I HEARD JOEL IS DEAD. I HUNG UP’

Louise was consoled by the news that Joel died instantly, but hopes the coroner finds fatigue was the cause, meaning Joel fell asleep at the wheel and simply never woke up.

“It sounds horrible but we are hoping he did just fall asleep … but it was instant, he wouldn’t have been in any pain apparently,” Louise said.

Due to some complications with Joel’s next of kin registration with Queensland Health, Louise first found out about the crash second hand when called by Joel’s friend.

“I wasn’t having a good morning, I woke up cranky,” she said.

“And then I got the call from his mate saying, ‘Louise, I heard Joel is dead’. I hung up.”

Soon afterwards Joel’s partner pulled up outside Louise’s home, closely followed by a police car.

“I was at the door and just screaming and screaming and screaming,” she said.

“The police stood outside for quite some time from what I can remember to let me just let it out.

“And then I was apologising, and I’m saying ‘he’s on life support or something hey, and I’ve got to go turn it off’.

“And (the police officer) is just like ‘no, no, we’re sorry’.”

On the day of the crash, Joel was driving down to stay with Cameron to make a fresh start after being in a troubled relationship with his partner and mother of his 10-year-old son, Rydah.

Amid the tragedy of Joel’s loss, an added poignancy is found in the fact that he was driving down to stay with Cameron to make a fresh start after being in a troubled relationship with his partner and mother of his 10-year-old son, Rydah.

“He was just going through a rough patch and we were trying to help him through it,” said Kylie, Cameron’s partner.

Louise and Cameron had separated when Joel was young, and Cameron had only reconnected with his son about five years ago.

“I was worried at first but I didn’t have anything to worry about, it was very healthy,” Louise said.

‘HE DIDN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT HIS DAD’

“He didn’t stop talking about his Dad … he really connected very well with him in the beginning and it just flew from there.”

While growing up without Cameron, Joel endured a traumatic childhood at the hands of Louise’s former partner.

Despite this, Joel’s cheeky and charming personality shone through.

“He could never keep his undies on,” Louise said.

“We lived down in Bargara for a little bit, and he’d run out the beach with no clothes on and I’d be chasing him.

“And he turned around with that cheeky smile. That smile of his, I’m telling you, everyone got it.”

At one point Joel moved in with Louise’s parents, when his grandfather provided the first positive male role model and support.

Joel would charm everyone he met with his 'cheeky smile'', Louise said.

“His Pop was his world, he loved my Dad, he completely worshipped him,” Louise said.

Due to there being only a 16-year age difference between them, Joel and Louise formed a more multifaceted relationship where he acted as a father figure to his three younger siblings.

“Joel grew up, and he was like my son, my brother, my father, my boss, you know, being the oldest boy and just a single mum,” Louise said.

After struggling through high school, a major turning point came for Joel when he was recommended by a teacher at Gladstone’s Branch Out program for the Young Endeavour youth scheme, where young people participate in voyages of a replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour vessel.

The experience taught him to face his fears and gave him the confidence to take on the further challenges in his life.

“He was like ‘I’m petrified of heights, and what if I get really seasick, and what if I don’t like someone’,” Louise said.

Joel was transformed by the time the Young Endeavour returned to port, waving to Louise from the top of the mast.

“Once they pulled up to the dock he goes ‘I did it Mum, I’m not scared of heights anymore,” Louise said.

“That was his biggest achievement, he felt so proud.”

The experience spurred him to gain work, first as a trolley pusher at the local IGA, then a brief stint as a Domino’s delivery driver and finally a courier for businesses around Gladstone.

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT BEING A DAD

But in reality the greatest achievement of Joel’s life was being a devoted father to his son Rydah.

Joel was a loving and devoted father to his son Rydah, determined not to inflict the same pain and trauma as he had experienced during his own childhood.

His troubled childhood led Joel to become a devoted dad, determined not to inflict the same pain and trauma on his own son as he had experienced.

“He had a bit of a tumultuous childhood, which turned him into a brilliant father,” Louise said.

“He was absolutely an utterly devoted father to Rydah.

“Rydah was his absolute everything, he was his world.”

Louise said she hasn’t been “sugar coating” the reality of Joel’s loss to Rydah, who has been asking why Joel’s regular visits in which they would go motorbike riding and fishing had stopped.

Rydah has taken possession of Joel’s Xbox, and an unwashed shirt to keep his father’s memories close.

Above all, Louise wants her son, known as “Bettsy” to his true friends to be remembered as “a loving, loyal man who would give you the shirt off his back.”

“He was really funny, and his smile, oh my God,” she said.

Along with a funeral and celebration of life which is currently being planned, Kylie is starting discussions with Bundaberg council to have a memorial garden created at the site of Joel’s crash.

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The family has created a GoFundMe to help meet the costs of their farewell for Joel and provide or Rydah’s future.

But at the moment, they are still finding it hard to accept that their beloved Joel has gone.

“I’m never going to feel that touch, I’m never going to see those eyes and that smile and hear his bloody noisy car coming up the driveway,” Louise said.

“I don’t have that anymore.”