Scott Cassidy: Heartbreaking reason dad-of-six was in a car before he was killed in horror crash two days before Father’s Day
A father of six who tragically died in a car accident two days before Father’s Day was traveling to comfort his wife after she lost her father.
Scott Cassidy, 50, was driving alone from his home in Townsville to Rockhampton around 6am on Friday when he hit a thick bank of fog and skidded his pickup off a bend on a notorious stretch of the Bruce Highway near Canoona.
The 11-year-old grandfather was killed in the accident, along with one of the three puppies in the car with him.
Mr Cassidy, who ran a concrete business in Queensland with his son Justin, was travelling to comfort his wife, who had lost her father three days earlier.
His grieving children now face the double pain of burying their beloved ‘daddy’ and their father in the same week.
According to Cassidy’s eldest daughter Angela, the family was “completely numb.”
“The glue that holds it all together is gone now and we’re having to pick up the pieces. It still doesn’t feel real,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
Mrs Cassidy, 33, said her father was a much-loved former junior coach at Norths Devils football club in Thuringowa and was always the life of the party.
Scott Cassidy (pictured), 50, was driving solo from Townsville to Rockhampton around 6am on Friday when he hit a thick fog bank and his pickup truck skidded off a bend on a notorious stretch of the Bruce Highway near Canoona
The 11-year-old grandfather was killed in the crash, alongside one of three puppies in the car with him (pictured: Mr Cassidy with his son Preston)
Mr Cassidy celebrated his 50th birthday the day after his son Justin’s wedding in June this year.
βHe was a big character, he always had to be the loudest person in the room,β his daughter said.
‘He loved his wife Renee, loved us, the children, and was so proud of all his grandchildren. He would do absolutely anything for us – and he did.’
Mrs Cassidy, 33, said she last spoke to her father on Wednesday when they reunited after the death of their grandfather.
The family launched a GoFundMe because Mr. Cassidy’s concrete company was their only source of income.
“Unfortunately, the bills continue to come in despite the circumstances. These funds will help ease the financial burden during this difficult time,” the GoFundMe page reads.
So far, nearly $11,000 has been raised.
Mr. Cassidy is survived by his wife, Renee (the couple are pictured together), their six children, ages 16 to 33, and their 11 grandchildren.
Mr. Cassidy (pictured) was remembered as the ‘glue that holds it all together’
A Queensland Police spokeswoman said the Forensic Crash Unit was investigating the accident.
“Initial investigation indicates that at approximately 6.20am a utility vehicle was travelling along the Bruce Highway (Kunwarara Road) between Atkinson Road and Old Canoona Road when it left the road and crashed,” police said.
“The driver, a 50-year-old man from Mount Low, was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Witnesses or people with dashcam footage are urgently requested to contact the police.