The driver who allegedly struck football superstar Sam Kerr’s grandmother with his vehicle has been charged with one count of dangerous driving causing serious bodily injury.
The 63-year-old man will appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court in Western Australia on February 4.
It comes after Coral Kerr, 89, got off a bus in the south-west Perth suburb of Palmyra at around 11am on Friday local time when the driver allegedly mounted the curb on a attempt to overtake the bus before hitting her.
At the time, Sam Kerr and his father Roger were at the picturesque Krinklewood Estate winery in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, attending the wedding of his Matildas teammate Emily Van Egmond to her partner Kat Thompson.
It is understood that Sam and his father Roger learned of the tragedy while at the reception and Roger was hastily arranging a flight back to Perth to be at his mother’s hospital bed.
Images from the Palmyra scene show the van with extensive damage to the bonnet after the vehicle collided with a power pole before striking Ms Kerr.
Sam Kerr is pictured with his beloved grandmother Coral Kerr, who is in a serious but stable condition in hospital after being hit by a car near her home in Perth on Friday.
At the time, Kerr was at her Matildas teammate Emily van Egmond’s wedding with her father Roger when she heard about the accident in Perth.
The ute allegedly drove down the pavement in an attempt to overtake the bus, where it collided with a power pole before hitting Ms Kerr; A 63-year-old man has since been charged with one count of dangerous driving occasioning serious bodily injury.
A somber-looking Sam Kerr at Sydney Airport on Saturday following the news about her grandmother.
Kerr is pictured being comforted by his fiancee Kristie Mewis before flying to Western Australia
Coral residents and bus passengers who witnessed the accident rushed to her side to help her as she lay on the grassy area next to the trail.
“She wasn’t really very responsive, she was very sweaty and wet…I think she was obviously in shock,” neighbor Mary Ivey told 9News.
Witnesses alleged that there were cars lined up behind the bus and that the driver of the vehicle had attempted to overtake it and drive on the sidewalk.
Chelsea striker Kerr, 31, and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, 33, originally from the United States, had been spending time with Kerr’s family over the Christmas holidays.
The couple announced in November that they were expecting a baby and had returned to Australia for the festive season.
The Chelsea star is currently recovering from an ACL injury that could keep her out of action until March 2025.
She had been seen wearing a black compression sleeve on her right leg to relieve the injury, but was later seen in Perth without the support.
Before learning of the accident on Friday, a beaming Kerr posed for photos alongside Mewis with Ireland and Arsenal star Katie McCabe, as well as teammate Caitlin Foord.
Matildas stars Clare Polkinghorne, Mackenzie Arnold and Steph Catley were also in attendance, while Lydia Williams, who has just retired from international football following the Paris Games, also posed for photos in a glamorous red and white dress.
Emily Van Egmond’s teammates were on hand with Kerr (second from left) posing for snaps with teammate Kristie Mewis (left). Arsenal star Katie McCabe (second from right) and Caitlin Foord (right) joined the pair for a photo.
Clare Polkinghorne, Foord, Mackenzie Arnold, Steph Catley, Lydia Williams and Hayley Raso (LR) also dazzled as they posed for photos at the venue.
Kerr’s Matildas teammate Emily Van Egmond (left) was all smiles after marrying teammate Kat Thompson.
Krinklewood Estate is located about two and a half hours from Sydney and sits on 150 acres of land located near the Brokenback mountain range.
Van Egmond popped the question to Thompson in June of last year, posting the happy announcement on Instagram with a series of photos near the beach in San Diego, California.
Born in Newcastle, not far from her wedding venue, Van Egmond began playing football at a young age and is the daughter of former Socceroo and Newcastle Jets coach Gary Van Egmond.
The San Diego Wave star has enjoyed a brilliant career, having made his first professional appearance with the Jets in 2008.
The midfielder would be capped 153 times for the Matildas and would star in three Olympic Games.
The Australian team is currently without a permanent coach and the search is likely to extend beyond the February international window.
Football Australia (FA) recently said it is determined to take its time to appoint the right long-term candidate.
Former mentor Tony Gustavsson left in August after the Olympics, and interim coach Tom Sermanni has coached the Matildas in six friendlies since his appointment in September.
That interim reign could continue and be approved at February’s SheBelieves Cup, as the FA considers candidates for the next four-year cycle.
The coach will need to lead Australia in the 2026 Asian Cup at home and qualify and compete in the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.