Tributes for Cairns man Jesse Rodman who died in car crash at Gordonvale
The girlfriend of a Cairns chippy has spoken of her agony after the “love of her life” died in a horror three-vehicle crash on the Bruce Highway.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Cairns chippy with a heart of gold who was always there for his mates had just started his own business and was planning a family when he packed his lunch, kissed his girlfriend and left for work.
He never came home.
Tributes have streamed in for 26-year-old Jesse Rodman who has been identified as the victim of a horror fatal crash at Gordonvale on Thursday morning.
He laughed a lot, was there for his buddies when he was needed the most and loved by all.
Having no way of knowing what would happen on the Bruce Highway at 6.10am yesterday Mr Rodman promised his girlfriend Micayla Balsamo the best Christmas ever.
“And now it’s gone,” she said through a veil of tears.
“We met years ago, it wasn’t the right time and when we did finally get together it was the perfect timing.
“He came into my life when I needed him the most and I had waited a lifetime to meet him and now he has been taken away.
“I just wanted more time, he was the love of my life.”
Friends and loved ones of the White Rock business owner have remembered him in social media posts as an “absolute legend”, while extending their condolences to Mr Rodman’s mother and father who live on the Sunshine Coast, sister Kasey and partner, Ms Balsamo.
“He kissed me every morning to say good morning, he loved everyone and he never held a grudge,” Ms Balsamo said.
“He didn’t have a bad bone in his body and had a heart of gold. He was loved by so many people in the community.
“He was my light, he was my home and we were each other’s whole world.
“A piece of my soul died with him yesterday.
“I waited my lifetime to meet someone like him and now he waits for me in paradise.”
Recently starting his own business Rodman’s Carpentry and Maintenance, Mr Rodman was driving a Toyota HiLux when the vehicle was involved in a collision with a truck and a Mazda BT50 at Gordonvale on Thursday morning.
“He grew up in Cairns, he played sport and played football and did motocross and was well known in the fighting community,” Ms Balsamo said.
“He moved to the Sunshine Coast four or five years ago and he had some many friends down there as well, he made friends wherever he went. I have never heard so many grown men cry.”
Thinking about starting their own family, a heartbroken Ms Balsamo said she just wanted more time with her man.
“I waited my lifetime to meet someone like him and now he waits for me in paradise,” she said.
“He made everything better. He was like the glue to all the broken pieces of me and now he has gone I have fallen apart again.”
Reflecting on their time together Ms Balsamo said it was her man’s sense of humour, positive attitude and care of his friends that will be remembered forever and summed by his
Instagram bio that reads simply: “Good times only”.
“His dad jokes, he was really goofy and he laughed a lot. He was the type of person (friends) would all call when they were at their lowest,” she said.
“He was always there for people, night and day and he was so excited when good things happened like getting married or starting a business.”
Friend Mark James Firgaira recalled first meeting Mr Rodman at a Cairns gym.
“Rest in peace Jesse Rodman … very sad news to hear of your passing today, met you many years ago at Hit Pit Boxing Gym Cairns, many good sparring sessions and many laughs over the years.
“You will be sadly missed mate by all that knew you, condolences to all your family and friends especially Micayla Balsamo,” he wrote on social media.
“You were an amazing guy and no one could ever say otherwise; would do anything for one more spar/punch in the face from ya, always in our heart mate you can’t be forgotten bro.”
David Carvell described Mr Rodman as an “absolute legend”.
“He didn’t deserve this taken way to soon my thought and prayers with his family and his partner Micayla Balsamo,” he wrote.
“R. I. P Jesse Rodman was a pleasure bro until we meet ag️ain️. The good always get taken to soon,” Callan Hampton posted.
Vele John Reece remembered Mr Rodman for his sense of humour.
“Devastating news to be told one of our brothers and all round funny man Jesse Rodman was taken from us this morning … RIP my brother,” he wrote.
Mr Rodman was tragically killed in a three-vehicle crash between the Toyota HiLux he was driving, a Mazda BT-50 and a truck.
Emergency services rushed to Bruce Hwy, near Cairns Rd and the Gordonvale Sikh Temple at 6.10am.
Following the crash, Mr Rodman was taken to Cairns Hospital in a critical condition where he died shortly after.
A 48-year-old Manunda man was behind the wheel of the truck and was taken to Cairns Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
The driver of the car, a 28-year-old Bungalow man, was taken to Cairns Hospital in stable condition.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokesman confirmed two patients were trapped by heavy vehicle damage and were freed by 7.10am.
There were also reports a patient was impaled in the arm with a steel rod.
Passengers in the three vehicles included a 42 year-old man, a 33-year-old man and a 23-year-old man, who were all transported to Cairns Hospital in stable conditions.
Three other patients were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The Bruce Hwy was closed in both directions for several hours.
More Coverage
Originally published as Tributes for Cairns man Jesse Rodman who died in car crash at Gordonvale
Helicopter sent to man trapped in truck on PDR
A man remains trapped in the cab of a truck on a remote Cape York road after rolling his vehicle. The rescue chopper has just landed at the scene.
Stunning images and footage of major army exercise
Stunning images from a major army exercise offer an insider’s perspective on the large-scale training held this week at Cowley Beach in Queensland, where soldiers honed their skills in handling large volumes of fuel.