Passers-by stop to inspect the sombre new tree that has bloomed on the roadside at Warrawong on Thursday morning, a reflection of a double tragedy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jack Kinloch, 23, and Judith Humphries, 58, suffered unsurvivable injuries when their paths crossed on Cowper Street on Wednesday night.
That family has been through so much ... two brothers gone in not even 10 years.
- Dennis Hancock
Mr Kinloch was riding eastward about 6.15pm when he collided with Ms Humphries beside a pedestrian island.
The accident has devastated two families and two networks of friends, and shocked strangers.
Mourners attached their floral tributes to a street pole near the crash site. They left a bottle of beer and a message: “Our Jack, we miss you so bloody much. Your laugh, smile and heart will be missed forever”.
Many others took to social media to pay tribute to Mr Kinloch, former Kanahooka High School student.
His death follows those of his twin brother, eight years ago, and his father, several months ago. “That family has been through so much,” wrote a mourner, Dennis Hancock, on social media. “Two brothers gone in not even 10 years. My deepest condolences to his family.”
Friends say Mr Kinloch had a “contagious laugh” and loved cars. They say he was en route to his sister’s house in Port Kembla when he crashed.
“Words cannot explain how much everyone will miss you brother,” wrote a friend, Dale Mcnamara. “Never a dull moment with you around, love you Jack Kinloch.”
An emergency chopper landed near the site of the crash, on standby for Ms Humphries, before she succumbed to her injuries. She was thrown into the air on impact.
Mr Kinloch also came off his bike, coming to rest underneath a parked car.
Forensic officers combed over the site until late on Wednesday, as part of an ongoing investigation into how the tragedy occurred.
Amid the tributes, some have pointed to the roadway as a possible contributing factor.
“I hope they get rid of that crossing,” a Mercury reader, Antonella Mj De Liseo, wrote online. “It scares me everytime I go through. Do I stop or go – so confusing!”
Police are calling on anyone with information relevant to their investigation to make contact. Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.