Wedgefield crash: Three young men killed in horror WA smash remembered as promising footy players

A young footballer has died from injuries he sustained a week ago in a horror crash that also killed two of his friends.

Emergency services were called to Wallwork Road in Wedgefield, on Western Australia’s north coast, after a car struck a light pole at about 9.20pm on June 10.

Brandon Krakouer, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene, while 25-year-old Jermayne Smith, 25, died shortly afterwards at the hospital.

Harley Corbett, 22, was flown to Perth where he spent a week in a critical condition before his loved ones made the heartbreaking decision to cut off his life support on Sunday.

The trio were all in the backseat at the time.

The driver, 25, and the front seat passenger, 25, escaped with minor injuries.

Family and friends have paid numerous tributes to the trio, who were remembered across WA as talented footballers.

Corbett played four games for Peel Thunder’s reserve side in the WAFL last year, having previously played in the Colts division in 2020.

The club was ‘deeply saddened’ to hear of Corbett’s death.

“Harley will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Harley’s family and friends at this time,” the club wrote.

A friend of Mr Corbett remembered him as someone who ‘touched many hearts’.

“Always smiling and laughing, I miss you my brother,” he wrote.

Corbett was also teammates at Belmont Football Club with Smith, who was honored as the best on ground at last year’s Grand Final which the team won.

“Mayney will be remembered by his coaches and teammates as an extremely talented, athletically gifted football player with a cheeky smile that lit up his teammates and those around him,” the Belmont Bombers Senior Football Club said.

The club honored Smith this weekend with all players from the three teams wearing black armbands for their fallen teammate.

“Get around each other guys, RIP and fly high our brother #15forever,” the message ended.

Another friend of the trio remembered him and Krakouer as “absolute freaks of nature in their own field.”

“They had the world in the palm of their hands, the sky was the limit for my brothers,” he wrote.

Jeremyne ​​Smith (pictured) died shortly after the crash at Wedgefield in northern Western Australia

The crash and subsequent deaths have sent shockwaves through the local indigenous Noongar community

The trio lived in Perth but had returned to Wedgefield to visit family over the June long weekend.

Several families and the indigenous Noongar community were badly affected by the crash, Aboriginal lawyer Mervyn Eades said.

“Jermayne was an exceptional young footballer… He was always heavily involved in football carnivals in Noongar,” Eades said. The Western Australia.

‘Harley has a son… and he’s expecting another child. He is a great young footballer. The football community is affected by this.

“Brandon has strong family ties to Mount Barker… everyone is hurting.”