Jessica Falkholt funeral: Family's heartbreak as they bid farewell to Home and Away actress killed in Boxing Day crash

Mourners carry flowers and a framed photo at the funeral for Jessica Falkholt
EPA
Matt Watts22 January 2018

The uncle of Home And Away actress Jessica Falkholt choked back tears at her funeral in Australia today as he condemned the drug-addict driver who tore his family apart.

Paul Ponticello told a packed church service in Sydney his family would never be the same again after the Boxing Day crash that killed Jessica, 28, her sister Annabelle, 21, and their parents Lars, 69, and Vivian, 60.

“An entire family has been taken by events totally beyond their control,” Mr Ponticello said.

“What occurred does not fit neatly within the definition of accident.” The family’s car was hit by another car on the Princes Highway, south of Sydney.

Mourners hug as they arrive at the actress' funeral
EPA

Jessica’s parents died at the scene and her sister died three days later in hospital.

Jessica spent almost three weeks in a coma at St George Hospital before doctors switched off her life-support system the day after her parents’ and sister’s funeral at the same church.

Jessica Falkholt was killed in a crash
Channel 5

Family, friends and co-stars from the Australian soap opera were at her funeral and released doves. In his eulogy, Mr Ponticello told how the actress had shown typical determination in fighting for her life.

He added that it was hard to come to terms with the loss of his family at the hands of serial driving offender Craig Anthony Whitall.

The drug addict, 50, also died.

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