Philipa Asplin calls for upgrade to Holbrook Rd after death of six-year-old son

Five months after losing her son in a crash, a Riverina mother has called for safety upgrades to a “dangerous road”.

A Riverina mother has paid tribute to her six-year-old son who died in a car crash, while calling for upgrades to a “dangerous road” to make it as safe as possible.

About 12.15pm on October 2, emergency services attended Holbrook Road, near Paper Forest Road, at Mangoplah following reports of a single-vehicle crash.

The passenger of the vehicle was a six-year-old boy, Lewis Obst, who tragically died at the scene and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Philipa Asplin said her son was a sweet little boy who was so full of life and her “life is very quiet without him”.

“He always took the time to ask how your day had been,” she added.

“He was smart and loved anything to do with numbers.

Lewis Obst, pictured, died after a single-car crash on Holbrook Rd at Mangoplah in 2021 at the age of six.

“He was cheeky and funny and loved to tell jokes. His smile could brighten the room and eyes could melt anyone’s heart.”

Ms Asplin said it was difficult to describe the extent of how Lewis’ death has impacted her.

“It’s an all-consuming event in my life, you never think you are going to have that knock on your front door and receive that news,” she said.

“The process you have to go through is heartbreaking from having to identify your deceased child to planning a funeral.

“You are having to do all these things that you never think you should do because you expect them to be alive forever, or at least your whole life.”

Emergency services respond to the fatal crash at Holbrook Road, Mangoplah that claimed the life of a six-year-old on October 2. Picture: The Rock SES

Ms Asplin said it feels like the biggest part of herself is missing and she is grieving not only the loss of life but also what could have been.

“I really struggle driving past schools at finish time because my son had just started kindergarten so seeing all these children doing things that he would have been doing is really difficult,” she said.

Ms Asplin decided that while nothing could change what happened, she wanted to use her voice to shine a light on concerns about the state of the road.

While the cause of the crash that killed her son is still under investigation, Ms Asplin said there are crucial concerns to be raised.

“The reason I am speaking out is not about pointing fingers, but I think roads should be made as safe as they can be,” she said.

The mother of Lewis Obst, pictured, has spoken out in the hope authorities will upgrade the road where her son died.

“I feel like there could be more safety measures put in place.

“There have been three fatalities in the last six months, and while those are still under investigation and might not have been caused by the actual condition of the road I still think it is something that needs to be looked at.”

About a month after Lewis’ death, a truck driver died and a 19-year-old passenger died in a car crash on March 12 - all three on the same road.

Ms Asplin decided to drive down Holbrook Rd after Lewis died, and was shocked by the state of it.

“It’s in really poor condition. There are a lot of potholes, and it’s really narrow and uneven,” she said.

“People seem to fly down it and there’s no lines so people drive down the middle.

“At some points, it’s not even wide enough for a truck and a car to pass each other safely.”

Ms Asplin said more and more Riverina residents between Albury and Wagga were choosing to use Holbrook Rd as it could shave time off the trip.

“If it is such a heavily used road then it should be made more safe,” she said.

Wagga City Council was contacted for comment, but did not respond to questions by deadline.