Richard Cooper organs donated after fatal e-scooter crash in Townsville City
The grieving family of a Townsville dad killed in a fatal e-scooter crash says, in the end, he gave the ‘ultimate gift’ by donating his organs to help save four others.
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The grieving family of a Townsville dad killed in a fatal e-scooter crash says, in the end, he gave the ‘ultimate gift’ by donating his organs to help save four others.
Father of four Richard Cooper, 35, died in hospital with critical head injuries after the e-scooter he was riding struck a gutter and he fell to the ground in the Townsville CBD last Thursday.
In a GoFundMe set up to help pay for Richard’s funeral, his niece Jojo Cooper said the incident had completely “shattered” their family to its core.
“He came off (the e-scooter) with such force and suffered a traumatic brain injury, which caused irreversible damage,” she said.
“He was placed on life support with further tests ordered, which sadly confirmed that he was brain dead.”
Richard was pronounced dead in Townsville University Hospital the following day.
His father, Trevor Cooper, said his son had chosen to donate his organs in the end, which has helped save four others in need.
“He used to live life on the edge, but at the end of the day, his four sons were his main love,” Mr Cooper said.
“He loved those boys and his partner Tianie. She was there with him until the very end.”
With the circumstances of his crash still under police investigation, Mr Cooper said their family was just focused on getting Richard back to his hometown of Dirranbandi so they could lay him to rest.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $6000 so far to help the family cover the funeral and transport expenses.
The Queensland Police Service released a statement saying they were treating Richard’s fatal e-scooter crash as a “death in police operations.”
Police say he had been speeding away from a police vehicle in the moments before the crash.
The Ethical Standards Command is investigating the incident on behalf of the State Coroner, and the investigation is subject to oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
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Originally published as Richard Cooper organs donated after fatal e-scooter crash in Townsville City
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