The heartbroken brother of a 13-year-old boy who died while crossing a busy motorway has revealed the teenager’s final moments.
Korbin Reid was with his older brother Zack, 24, and his father when the teenager was hit by a vehicle on the Great Western Highway at Bowenfels, 3km south of Lithgow in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, on Friday night.
The teenager was riding his electric scooter at the time and was about 1km from the traffic lights when the group opted to cross the motorway, a decision that ended in tragedy when a car “came out of nowhere” and hit Korbin.
His brother can’t get the image of Korbin lying on the ground, seriously injured, out of his head.
“He was face down on the road. I immediately knelt down and held his head against my leg,” Zack said. 7news.com.au.
‘Within seconds of calling out her name, she started blinking and breathing very shallowly. She was shaking all over.’
There were no signs of any cars coming when the group decided to cross the highway, but then a car “came out of nowhere” and hit Korbin.
Korbin was rushed to Lithgow Hospital and then airlifted to Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney, where he lost his fight for life.
Korbin Reid (pictured), 13, died while crossing a New South Wales highway last Friday.
Korbin is the second son his father has lost.
“I lost my brother Logan when he was four years old due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). He was just two months old,” Zack recalls.
‘My dad still hasn’t gotten over the fact that he laid Logan off, and now he has to lay off his other son… he doesn’t know what to think.’
He added that since Korbin’s death, his father had become “closed in on himself.”
The Reid family is well known in the Lithgow community.
Korbin’s mother is a volunteer for SES and Saint Vincent de Paul.
Two relatives have created a GoFundMe page to help support Korbin’s heartbroken family, which has raised more than $5,200.
Korbin (left) is pictured with his brother Zack, who was with the teen when he was hit by a car and later died.
Zack said the local community had come together to support the family and remember Korbin.
He described his younger brother as “a very energetic and cheerful person. He always saw the bright side of things. He always made everyone laugh.”
Zack added that his parents were struggling to find the strength to plan Korbin’s funeral.
Tributes for the teenager poured in on social media, with his heartbroken mother saying she was “missing her baby”.
“Mommy and Daddy love you as much as your sisters and brothers,” she wrote.
Another family remembered him as “such a sweet and funny boy.”
New South Wales Police said the 45-year-old driver of the vehicle that hit Korbin was also taken to hospital for mandatory tests.
No charges have been filed.
