Nathanael Patson’s father’s, fiancee’s victim impact statements as read out in court

“We forgive you”: The loved ones of a Rockhampton man killed when a fatigued driver veered into oncoming traffic share how the death changed their lives. WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT.

The family and fiancee of a young Rockhampton man killed when a fatigued driver veered into oncoming traffic have shared how his death has impacted their lives.

Nathanael Patson was 24 years old when he died from injuries sustained in a head on collision on Yeppoon Road at Bondoola in 2020.

The crash, caused by tired driver Lochie John Taylor, happened about 5.45am on March 3 with Mr Patson flown to Brisbane in a critical condition.

Lochie John Taylor, 22, was sentenced to three years and three months prison, suspended after serving eight months, and operational for five years for killing stonemason apprentice Nathanael Patson in a crash on Yeppoon Road in March 2020. Fatigue has been deemed the cause of the crash.

After 13 days in ICU with family and his fiancee, Sarah Morgan, constantly at his bedside, Mr Patson tragically died.

Taylor, who was 20 at the time of the crash and living out of his ute, will spend the next eight months in prison after being sentenced in Rockhampton District Court on September 24, 2021, for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

At his sentencing, Mr Patson’s father, Noel, read out a victim impact statement which covered the effects the fatal crash had on Mr Patson’s parents and five brothers.

Ms Morgan also shared how her fiancee’s death had traumatised her.

Sarah Morgan’s victim impact statement

“Nathanael Patson was my fiancee, my best friend and my whole world.

I loved him more than anything.

He was my support and my personal cheerleader.

He lived his life in service to those around him.

And I was beyond excited to marry him.

On Tuesday, March 3, 2020, my entire life shattered.

I spent two unpleasant weeks living in that Brisbane hospital ICU.

I sat with Nathanael for hours but I never heard him speak to me again.

I watched him slowly waste away and I watched him die.

Every day of that hospital stay is etched into my mind forever.

At the time, I was in my final prac year of university.

After Nathanael died, I tried to continue with my studies but my mental state was deteriorating so rapidly I had to drop out.

For months, I had repeated nightmares and flashbacks of things I saw and experienced in that hospital.

I had panic attacks that literally paralysed me.

I was physically sick every day.

I could not eat or sleep.

I lost weight rapidly and was severely depressed.

The pain and heartache from losing Nathanael was more than I could bear.

I didn’t want to live in a world without him, so I tried to take my own life.

I spent weeks in hospital in supervised care.

In the past year alone, I have spent thousands on mental health services.

Before Nathanael died, I had not needed any of this at all.

Today, I am looking forward at trying to build a new life for myself.

But the trauma of losing my fiancee is something that constantly haunts me.

I don’t say any of this so that you will feel sorry for me.

I say it so that you will understand the deep impact a single action can have on another person’s life.

Everyone makes mistakes but it’s how you move forward from them that counts.

So I hope you can live a life that is fulfilled and free from the past.

I hope you can move forward from this and I want you to know that I forgive you for what has happened.”

Noel and Cathy Patson and their sons’ victim impact statement, read by Noel

“The impact of Nathanael’s premature passing has changed our lives in the following ways:

The loss of our son, Nathanael, our child, brings sadness into our lives at any time of the day or night, every day of every week with no given warning.

It can be triggered by memory of anything that reminds us of him.

We can no longer look forward to celebrating his wedding which would have been in November 2020.

As a father, I had begun thinking about planning my speech for this occasion. This has now been denied along with all the other dreams we’ve held in our hearts as a family.

Nathanael Patson's father Noel, along with two of his five brothers, Joel and Tobias, leaving the Rockhampton courthouse after at-fault fatal crash driver Lochie John Taylor, 22, was sentenced to three years and three months prison, suspended after serving eight months, and operational for five years.

We will never see or know the joy of what might have been our grandchildren, our brother’s nephews, our brother’s nieces.

The rich relationship which we had with Nathanael’s fiancee and her family is now painful and awkward.

The trauma of being by Nathanael’s side in the ICU for 13 days remains; watching his body seemingly recover while his brain deteriorated to the point of no return.

His level of functionality even denied him the ability to cough.

This trauma has inflicted itself on other members of our family.

Nathanael’s brother, our eldest son, who lives with us, has suffered immense physical and emotional pain.

We have watched his physical and mental state deteriorate to the point where he has been unable to work, which has burdened him with debt due to medical and counselling bills and loss of income.

Our own finances has been stretched as at one point, we endured a $5000 expense related to the vehicle wreckage storage from the tow truck company where the police investigation ensured.

Nathanael’s mother Catherine has required ongoing grief counselling treatment; and our youngest son, who turned 11 only days after Nathanael’s death, has required psychological assessment and treatment which has cost thousands of dollars.

As his parents, we miss Nathanael. His brothers, our sons, desperately miss Nathanael.

As a family, we desperately miss Nathanael.

Nathanael encouraged us. He inspired us. He was our arbitrator. Our conciliator.

He prayed for us, for all of us. His brothers and his parents.

He was a confidant and friend to his brothers.

His friends loved and respected him.

He enriched their lives with his trust. And they miss him dearly as well.

We bear no grudge towards Lochie Taylor.

To the contrary, we forgive him and pray that he might demonstrate remorse or his guilt.

We have faith that this can one day make him a better man.”