'Beautiful' boy and dad killed in horror crash days after losing mum

A family has been left to deal with insurmountable grief after losing two parents and their son in less than a week.

Tragedy struck on Willow Grove Rd in Trafalgar, Victoria, as a parent and their young child lost their lives in a devastating collision between their car and a truck on Sunday evening.

Eight-year-old Harley Smith, described as "beautiful" by those who knew him, died alongside the driver of the car, believed to be his father.

The horror accident unfolded just four days after Harley's mother, Amy Galea, died after a battle with cancer.

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A devastated family

April Damschke, a close friend of the family, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to alleviate the financial burden of the funeral arrangements for Amy and her beloved son Harley. 

“This fundraiser is to help with the funeral cost of Amy and her beautiful boy Harley,” Ms Damschke wrote.

“Amy Galea was diagnosed with stage four cancer at the age of 39, passing just four weeks later. Amy lost her battle and gained her wings. Just four days after Amy’s death, her son, eight-year-old Harley, was tragically killed in a truck versus car accident in Trafalgar.”

She added that the events had “devastated Amy’s family and left them helpless”.

“Donations will be used to help lay Amy and her son to rest, anything will be greatly appreciated,” she wrote. “Funeral service dates are yet to be determined.”

Harley Smith and his mum Amy Galea died just four days apart. Picture: GoFundMe

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Investigations continue

Victoria Police are yet to identify the two deceased victims formally and cite an ongoing investigation as the reason.

A Police representative didn’t confirm if a murder-suicide was a line of inquiry in the investigation. 

“Police are investigating a fatal collision in Trafalgar,” she said in her statement.

“It is believed that a car and truck collided on Trafalgar-Willow Grove Road about 5.20 pm on April 14. The driver of the car and a child, who are both yet to be formally identified, died at the scene. The driver of the truck was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police are investigating the exact circumstances surrounding the collision.”

Police are urging any witnesses of the crash with dashcam footage or any information to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

Ms Galea lost her dog only months earlier. Picture: Facebook

More heartbreak

Just when you thought this family had experienced enough grief and loss, Ms Galea also lost her beloved family dog, Molly.

“I always love you my fur baby Molly,” she shared in December to a Facebook support group for anyone grieving the loss of a pet. “You are forever in my heart.”

If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe page, you can find the link here.

Originally published as 'Beautiful' boy and dad killed in horror crash days after losing mum