- Sam Landsberger has died at the age of 35
- The football journalist died in a traffic accident
- Many tributes have been pouring in for Landsberger
Football journalist Sam Landsberger has died at the age of 35 after a traffic accident with a truck in Richmond.
Police were called to a collision in Richmond at the intersection of Bridge Road and Church Street around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Landsberger was taken to Alfred Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died a short time later.
The driver of the truck was a 45-year-old man who was not injured. He has been released pending further investigation.
The sports reporter joined the Herald Sun in 2010 as an AFL and cricket reporter and quickly became one of the most popular journalists in sport.
He later landed a weekly spot on Fox Footy and was beloved by his peers in the industry.
“Sam Landsberger had a huge future in journalism and made great strides early on,” said Mark Robinson, chief football writer at the Herald Sun.
‘He loved the game and understood it, and he respected his craft. He was such a valuable member of Melbourne’s sports journalism community, someone who could cover all aspects of football. And people trusted him.’
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch said in X: ‘He was a great journalist and someone everyone had a lot of respect for.’
Michael Miller, executive chairman of News Corp Australasia, said: ‘Sam was an incredibly diligent reporter, always in the office with his phone to his ear talking to his valuable football contacts.
“His passion for pursuing the big story set him apart from many.”
Landsberger was educated at Melbourne High School and attended Monash University from 2007 to 2010. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Officers from the Melbourne Highway Patrol are continuing their investigation into the collision. The exact details surrounding the crash are not yet known.
Any witnesses or drivers with dashcam footage of the incident are urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
More to come.