Cohn Evans death: Mum breaks silence over motocross star son’s fatal crash

The grieving mother of a professional motocross rider has spoken of the harrowing moment she realised her son had died in a car crash south of Brisbane.

Cohn Evans was a well-known professional motocross rider. Picture: Facebook

The grieving mother of a professional motocross rider, who died in a car crash south of Brisbane last year, says she leaves the porch light on every night in the hope that the 22-year-old will eventually come home.

Cohn Evans, 22, was killed after the driver allegedly lost control and crashed into a tree at New Beith on November 30.

Cohn’s personal trainer and friend, Joshua Jordan John Boyton has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, driving an uninsured vehicle on a road, drive defective vehicle, drive non-compliant modified vehicle, driver fail to remain at incident and render assistance.

In her first interview since the crash, Cohn’s mother Dolly Evans says she constantly replays their last conversation.

Cohn Evans pictured with his father Jason and mother Dolly. Photos Supplied

“He asked me if he could use my car – I said no,” she said.

“(Boyton) picked up Cohn … I watched … Cohn was 6’5, he doesn’t fit into the back of many cars.

“Before he left, I said ‘are we going to have dinner?’ – He said ‘yeah what’s for dinner’ and I said ‘I’ll cook you spaghetti’.

“(Cohn) said ‘I’ll be home for dinner’.

“Normally he would walk in the door about 5:30pm, 5:30pm came … 6pm came – I tried to message him, he didn’t answer … then we got a very unusual text message that said ‘I heard about Cohn’s accident – I don’t know if you want to talk … if you are ready to talk’.

Mrs Evans said Cohn had been in a motocross accident a few months prior and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia.

“He was just coming back from that – he hadn’t really been out much … that’s when (Boyton) came into the picture … he was a personal trainer,” she said.

Mrs Evans said she responded to the text message with “he is doing well now”.

“The person responded back with ‘I think we are talking about a different accident …’,” she said.

‘I JUST KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG’

Speaking about that fateful day, Mrs Evans said “I just knew something was wrong … our phones were ringing so badly that we couldn’t answer them”.

“Someone got through to us and said ‘there has been an accident but Cohn is okay’ … and then a friend of ours pulled up in the driveway.

“We didn’t know where we were going but I knew it was bad because he didn’t answer the phone … I just kept ringing and ringing.”

Cohn Evans was a popular rider on the motocross circuit Photos Supplied

Mrs Evans said the drive from Jimboomba to New Beith “felt like an eternity”.

“It was raining so heavy … we got out of the car, it was pitch black … you couldn’t see the accident”.

Mrs Evans said Cohn and Boyton had only known each other “socially” for about six months.

She said Cohn was “full of life”.

“He was a good friend, a darn good friend.

“He wanted to see the best in people.”

COHN ‘ALWAYS CAME HOME’

Mrs Evans said Cohn was only ever interested in being a sportsman.

“He never attended birthday parties (as a child), he never had his own birthday party until he was 18 … he preferred to go camping, four-wheel-driving.

“He was a homebody – he would walk out this door and say ‘I’m going to stay at (a friend’s place) tonight’ … we would leave the front door open, the light on … he would be here every night.

“He always came home.”

Asked whether she supported Cohn’s motocross career, Mrs Evans said: “I wanted an equestrian rider”.

“I was an equestrian, (my husband) Jason was a motocross rider.

“I trained with Cohn … but I’m also a nurse … when (Cohn) had an accident, I was the first one there.”

Cohn Evans died in a car crash last year. Photos Supplied

Mrs Evans said they were unable to come to terms with how Cohn died.

“We always knew what our sport could do, Cohn had lost mates who were killed at motocross, mates paralysed from motocross … I think Cohn would have preferred it that way,” she said.

“It kills us that he died with people he assumed were his mates.

“I know if the shoe was on the other foot – if it was my son that was driving – he would’ve stayed the course … he would have rung an ambulance, he would have fronted those parents.”

MRS EVANS CLAIMS COHN’S PHONE WAS TAKEN FROM THE SCENE

Mrs Evans claims Cohn’s phone was taken from the scene and returned to police months later after a “factory reset”.

“Until January (the police) thought they had Cohn’s phone … they didn’t.

“I missed a call from the detective … he asked me what the screensaver was on the phone and the PIN number.

“I said ‘the screensaver will either be a photo of me and him or him and a jetski … ‘and they said ‘we don’t have your phone’ and then the phone surfaced … it was handed into police.”

Mrs Evans said she recently spoke to a witness who said “we saw your name, mum with a love heart come up (on the phone)”.

Josh Boyton has been charged in relation to the death of Cohn Evans. Picture: Supplied Facebook

She said a good Samaritan held Cohn’s hand until she arrived, two hours after the crash.

“But (Cohn) was gone,” Mrs Evans said.

Police will allege Boyton had made “engine modifications” and that he did not make a “reasonable endeavour” to contact emergency services following the crash, according to court documents.

“We have high performance cars ourselves. (Jason) put me in (the car) the other day. I was a mess,” Mrs Evans said.

“I got to the end of the street, I thought my heart was going to fall out of my chest, I just wanted to throw myself out of it.”

THIS WEEK WOULD HAVE BEEN COHN’S 23RD BIRTHDAY

The Evans family will celebrate Cohn’s 23rd birthday on October 12.

“At first I was just burying my head in work … slowly I’m beginning to realise that this is reality … it is lonely without him,” Mrs Evans said.

“(Cohn) was our back up plan, we weren’t going into a nursing home, he was going to look after us.

“He was a mummy’s boy – he came home every night – I still wait for that … every night … the light goes on and I wait and wait.”

Mrs Evans said Cohn had become a father figure to his two nephews and was affectionately known as ‘CoCo’.

“It breaks my heart every time I’m around my grandchildren because they remind me of Cohn – his mannerisms, his compassion,” she said.

COMFORT PACKS FOR GRIEVING LOVED ONES, SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE

Mrs Evans said she wanted police to be provided with comfort packs for grieving loved ones.

She said the packs should include a bottle of water, vomit bag, pamphlets and a thermal blanket.

“We were left standing (at the scene) until 2am in the morning,” she said.

Mrs Evans said schoolchildren should also be taught social media etiquette.

“(Children) see a car crash on the side of the road and the first thing they do is take a photo,” she said.

“They don’t realise that there is a parent sitting at home that is eventually going to see that (photo).

“I was the strength of our family … now Jason is the one that scoops me off the floor.”

Boyton and the rear passenger, a 21-year-old man from Springfield Lakes, both sustained minor injuries.

Boyton has previously been granted bail.

His matter has been adjourned to October 18 at Beenleigh Magistrates Court.