- Sam Landsberger spoke to his mother as he died
- The AFL reporter was hit and killed by a truck on his way to work
- His father says he was on the phone with his mother Anne when he was hit
Sam Landsberger was talking to his mother Anne on the phone when he was hit by a truck, killing him.
The football world is in mourning after Herald Sun reporter Landsberger was killed in a road traffic accident in Richmond, Melbourne on Tuesday morning on his way to work.
Landsberger was only 35 years old.
The truck driver who fatally struck the reporter has since been charged after allegedly refusing to provide a blood sample to police.
The Landsberger family have been inundated with moving tributes from Sam’s colleagues and the wider football community. The football and cricket reporter was held in high regard by all who knew him.
And his father, Jake, said the family was comforted by the fact that his son spent his final moments on the phone with his mother.
“Anne was on the phone to Sam when it happened, she heard the bang, she heard the commotion and we were beside ourselves with fear as to whether she had actually distracted him,” Jake told the Herald Sun.
‘Anne spoke to him as he walked down the street to meet his friend and former Herald Sun colleague Nick Smart.
‘The next moment there was a commotion, a stranger picked up the phone and said, ‘Who am I speaking to?’ Anne said, ‘I’m Sam’s mother, who are you?’
“And he said, ‘I’m sorry to say, but your son has just been hit by a vehicle… he’s on the ground.’ The man spoke to Sam at first until he lost consciousness.”
The 35-year-old was later taken to Alfred Hospital, where he died. Jake revealed that the stranger messaged the family on WhatsApp on Wednesday.
“He texted us and said, ‘I told Sam I was on the phone with his mother and he was okay with it, knowing he was communicating with you through me.’”
More to come.