At 27, Kristen Baresic was too young to die.
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But her life ended on Mt Ousley last week when she tried to cross the busy road on foot after a car crash.
Kristen's heartbroken father has invited anyone involved in the incident to come to his daughter's funeral and meet the family in the hope that talking and sharing their grief might help with the pain they are enduring.
Kristen (pictured) was hit by several cars as she tried to cross the freeway on Mt Ousley about 500m south of Bellambi Creek about 5.45pm on Friday last week.
She had fled the car after being involved in an accident while driving to Sydney. Her mother was in the passenger's seat.
Yesterday, Lenko Baresic reached out to the drivers involved in the incident as well as emergency services workers, inviting them to Kristen's funeral on Monday.
"We would like to make contact with the poor unfortunate people who were involved in the accident and witnessed it," he said.
"If we can appreciate their pain a little bit, it will help us with our own.
"We do not bear any malice towards the drivers of the vehicles that struck her. We know they would be under a lot of stress.
"If they can, we would like to talk to them," he said. "If they'd like to celebrate the life of our daughter they're most welcome to come to the funeral and make themselves known to us."
Mr Baresic, who lives in East Corrimal, went to the scene of the crash but backed-up traffic meant he could not get there until midnight. His funeral invitation extended to police and emergency service workers who were involved on the night, and who he said treated him "with the utmost courtesy and respect" at the scene.
"There's an awful lot of people there that are doing an incredible job," he said.
"They would also have been affected."
Mr Baresic said reports that Kristen had argued with her mother before the incident were wrong.
"There was no argument," he said.
"Her mother ... says that Kristen was in shock and distress as a result of the initial accident and she may have been trying to flag down some help resulting in her death.
"We do not know whether the initial accident had caused her to misjudge the speed of oncoming traffic coming over the crest at high speed."
Kristen grew up in Albion Park and went to Stella Maris primary and St Joseph's high school before studying commerce at the University of Wollongong.
She had been living and working in the Sydney suburb of Glebe, but was about to move back to live with her family in Wollongong.
"She was on her way back to Sydney last Friday night with her mother to pick up her clothes ... because she'd organised some dinners with girlfriends here," Mr Baresic said.
Kristen's funeral will be held at St Paul's church, Albion Park, at 10.30am on Monday. Instead of bringing flowers, the Baresic family would prefer people make a donation to Beyond Blue or Lifeline.
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