‘My son’s death was blasted on social media’

Ryan Kimball died in a car crash – and his last moments were posted on social media. Now, the teen’s heartbroken dad reveals how Covid lockdowns played a role in the tragedy.

Street music blasts in the background as a car races terrifyingly along a suburban road. The camera pans to its speedometer, which is hurtling towards 180km/h. Someone in the front seat blurts “f… you, dog” as the car overtakes on the wrong side of the road at frightening speed. Seconds later, it flips out of control on an arching bend.

The recording comes to a violent stop. And so does Ryan Kimball’s short life.

The 16-year-old was killed in the June 9, 2022 crash on the Sunshine Coast. The Year 10 student had been sitting in the back seat for that horrifying journey. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver – a 17-year-old learner – had been acting on a Snapchat post daring drivers to top terrifying speeds along Finland Rd, a bumpy “hoon” track in Bli Bli.

Ryan Kimball, who was killed in a car crash on June 9, 2022. Picture: Facebook

“Turned out the run that those boys had been doing all day prior to picking Ryan up was a dare sent out by another through social media about his speed, bet you can’t beat that,” says Ryan’s devastated dad, Graeme Kimball. “That’s why the crash is being video-taped by the front-seat passenger as proof of what they were doing.”

The disturbing video captured the last moments of Ryan’s life. But that gravity didn’t stop it from being broadcast on TikTok hours after his death.

Mr Kimball says some of Ryan’s friends only found out about his death when they saw the post online.

Graeme Kimball on Finland Rd in Bli Bli, where his son, Ryan, was killed on June 9, 2022. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“It became like a hot topic for the person who posted it … to boost their profile views and their status,” says Mr Kimball, who could not bring himself to watch the footage until about 12 months later. “It’s hard knowing that the last thing Ryan sees is those clouds in the sky. When you’re grieving, you don’t want to come across that stuff and it’s had an impact on us since.”

Three years after the crash, the 57-year-old dad – who is still struggling to pick up the pieces – reflects on the tragedy for the latest episode of Lockdown Kids: How To Break a Generation.

The docu-series delves into the long-term impacts of placing the nation’s children into lockdown during the pandemic, and today’s episode shines a light on the rise of youth crime for likes on social media.

Graeme Kimball at the crash-site memorial to Ryan. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Graeme and Annette Kimball have kept a memorial wall in tribute to Ryan at their Buderim home.

Mr Kimball says Covid took its toll on Ryan – “a great kid with an infectious, Paul Walker smile” who loved his family, friends, fishing and sailing. During lockdowns, the teenager spent hours alone in his room at the family’s Buderim home, making a new social circle online.

“With (Covid), that’s when we started to lose Ryan a lot,” he says. “I think (kids) were just making friends online, regardless of who they were, if they knew them or not. Boredom, showing off what they can do, ‘look what I’ve done, can you do better than this’. I do believe Covid had a big part.”

Even after Covid restrictions eased, Ryan and his new mates still did a lot of their communicating and socialising on apps like TikTok and Snapchat. It was an invitation from one of those online mates that saw the outgoing teen end up in the back seat on that traumatic day.

Annette, Tyson and Graeme Kimball with a picture of Ryan, who was killed in a car crash on June 9, 2022. Picture: Supplied

Mr Kimball was at work when he received the terrible phone call. By the time he arrived at the crash scene, his son had already been pronounced dead. The horrifying news – delivered by his younger son, Tyson, who had arrived minutes earlier with his wife, Annette – made him physically sick.

Ryan Kimball after gaining his Ls. Picture: Facebook

The final photo of Buderim teen Ryan Kimball, captured the day before he died. Picture: Contributed

Over the next few days, Ryan’s family discovered the heartbreaking extent of his fatal injuries through more social media posts. His neck was snapped and arm ripped off.

“The worst thing I ever done was have a viewing at his funeral,” says Mr Kimball. “I did not want to give him a hug because of what I read online about his arm. That haunts me to this day.”

Graeme and Annette Kimball in Ryan’s bedroom.

The driver, who was 17 and cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death while excessively speeding, being a learner driver without supervision and without displaying L plates and using a mobile phone while driving.

He had no criminal history and the court showed leniency for his guilty plea and “good character”, suspending his 18-month jail sentence. The penalty has devastated Ryan’s family, who questions its power as a deterrent.

Graeme Kimball, whose son Ryan, was killed in a car crash in June 2022, Finland Road Bli Bli. The driver was answering a social media challenge to drive. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“I mourn my son’s death in the morning and every night before I go to bed,” says Mr Kimball, who still tends a memorial to his son at the crash site every week. “Every day is a struggle.”

Watch every episode of Lockdown Kids: How to Break a Generation right now.

Originally published as ‘My son’s death was blasted on social media’