The driver who allegedly struck football superstar Sam Kerr’s grandmother with his ute has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
The 63-year-old man will appear in the Fremantle Magistrates Court in Western Australia on February 4.
It comes after Coral Kerr, 89, was getting off a bus in Perth’s southwestern suburb of Palmyra at around 11am local time on Friday when the driver allegedly climbed the curb in an attempt to overtake the bus before it hit her.
At the time, Sam Kerr and her father Roger were at the picturesque Krinklewood Estate winery in the NSW Hunter Valley, attending the wedding of her Matildas teammate Emily Van Egmond to partner Kat Thompson.
It is understood Sam and her father Roger heard of the tragedy while Roger was at reception hastily organizing a flight back to Perth to be at his mother’s hospital bedside.
Photos from the scene in Palmyra show the ute had extensive damage to the bonnet after the vehicle struck an electricity pylon before hitting Ms Kerr.
Sam Kerr is pictured with her 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
Kerr was at the wedding of Matildas teammate Emily van Egmond to her father Roger when she heard about the crash in Perth.
The ute reportedly drove onto the footpath in an attempt to overtake the bus, where it struck an electricity pole before it hit Ms Kerr – a man, 63, has since been charged with one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm
A somber-looking Sam Kerr at Sydney airport on Saturday after hearing the news about her grandmother
Kerr is comforted by fiancée Kristie Mewis before flying to Western Australia
Coral’s neighbors and bus passengers who witnessed the crash rushed to help her as she lay on the lawn next to the sidewalk.
“She wasn’t really reacting much, she was very sweaty and clammy… I think she was obviously in shock,” neighbor Mary Ivey told 9News.
Witnesses claimed that there were cars behind the bus and that the driver had tried to overtake him and drive onto the sidewalk.
Chelsea striker Kerr, 31, and her partner West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, 33, from the US, both spent time with Kerr’s family over the Christmas holidays.
The couple announced in November that they were expecting a baby and had flown back to Australia for the holidays.
The Chelsea star is currently recovering from a cruciate ligament injury that could keep her out of action until March 2025.
She was seen wearing a black compression stocking on her right leg to ease the injury, but was later seen in Perth without the support.
Before learning of the crash on Friday, a beaming Kerr posed for photos alongside Mewis with Ireland and Arsenal star Katie McCabe, as well as her partner Caitlin Foord.
Matildas stars Clare Polkinghorne, Mackenzie Arnold and Steph Catley were also in attendance, while Lydia Williams, who has just retired after the Paris Games, also posed for pictures, wearing a glamorous red and white dress.
Emily Van Egmond’s teammates were in attendance, along with Kerr (second from left) who posed for photos with her partner Kristie Mewis (left). Arsenal star Katie McCabe (second from right) and Caitlin Foord (right) had their photo taken with the couple
Clare Polkinghorne, Foord, Mackenzie Arnold, Steph Catley, Lydia Williams and Hayley Raso (L-R) also dazzled as they posed for snaps at the venue
Kerr’s old Matildas teammate Emily Van Egmond (left) was all smiles after marrying partner Kat Thompson
Krinklewood Estate is located approximately two and a half hours outside of Sydney and sits on 150 hectares of land near the Brokenback Mountains.
Van Egmond popped the question to Thompson last June, posting the cheerful announcement on Instagram with a series of photos near the beach in San Diego, California.
Born in Newcastle, not far from her chosen wedding venue, Van Egmond started playing football from a young age and is the daughter of former Socceroo and Newcastle Jets coach Gary Van Egmond.
The San Diego Wave star has had a stellar career after making her first professional appearance for the Jets in 2008.
The midfielder would go on to score 153 times for the Matildas and star for the side at three Olympic Games.
The Australian team is currently without a permanent coach and the hunt is likely to extend beyond the February international break.
Football Australia (FA) recently said they are committed to taking their time to appoint the right long-term candidate.
Former mentor Tony Gustavsson left in August after the Olympics, while interim coach Tom Sermanni has led the Matildas in six friendlies since his appointment in September.
That interim government could last until February’s SheBelieves Cup, while the FA considers candidates for the next four-year cycle.
The coach will have to lead Australia in the 2026 home Asian Cup and qualify and compete in the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.