It brought to a close the life of a teenager who, despite the exuberance of youth, was best remembered as a polite young man and loving protector of his four siblings.

Early last Monday morning, Corey, 16, set out from his Dapto home on his bicycle intending to visit a friend at Berkeley.

It was his usual practice to kiss his parents Derek and Tania goodbye, but on this occasion he left them to sleep.

About 8.10am he was riding north along the F6 freeway when he was struck by a car being driven by a 21-year-old P-plater.

The exact details of the accident are still to be determined by the NSW Coroner.

But what is known is that Corey, who was wearing a helmet, took the full brunt of the injury to the back of the head, sustaining massive brain injuries.

It is believed his heart stopped before two passing nurses provided medical care, performing CPR for 30 minutes to revive him.

Mr Sloan said the first he knew of the accident was a call from Wollongong Hospital.

Corey spent the next two days on life support, breathing on his own to a point, before the machine took over.

He died before the family were faced with the decision of switching off the machines.

"He fought hard, my little man," his distraught father said. "But in the end it was just too much for him."

Until last Monday's accident, the Illawarra had proved a lucky charm for the family.

Mr Sloan relocated his family to Dapto from Condobolin seven years ago in a bid to find employment.

Upon arrival, he took his boys to nearby Crocker's Boxing Gym, and a friendship formed between the family and gym owner Vito Gaudiosi.

A job was organised with Allmen Industrial Services, where Mr Sloan became recognised for his work ethic.

Meantime, he and his boys, Bailey, 8, Jaryd, 10, and Corey (they have two sisters, Teigan, 13, and Janita, 17) visited the gym for both the social outlet and physical fitness, although Corey was not usually so keen, Mr Gaudiosi said.

"His younger brothers were there a bit more than Corey. I think he was a bit worried about getting sweaty," he said laughing.

"He was basically there to look after his brothers. He'd always come and put his nose in to see what his brothers were doing.

"He was a lovely young man who always shook your hand. A nice kid. His father instilled some great respect in him."

Mr Sloan said his son was more likely to spend time on his computer than slug it out at the gym.

"We used to call him the computer nerd. He'd still be sitting there at midnight tapping away on the computer," he said.

"He had a great sense of humour. Always laughing. Good for a joke. Just a very heart-warming boy.

"He had plenty of friends. The staff of his school (Kanahooka High) called this morning to say they would be attending his funeral."

Mr Sloan thanked the two nurses who revived his son on the F6, saying it gave the family a chance to say goodbye.

He praised the staff of Wollongong Hospital.

"The nurses up there were brilliant," he said.

"They looked after my son so well, so gentle. Every time they had to do something they spoke to him with respect."

Fighting back tears, he also expressed his sorrow for the young female P-plater involved in Corey's accident.

"My heart goes out to her, poor thing," he said.

Amid the grief experienced by the family as they maintained a vigil beside Corey in hospital, young Bailey knelt and prayed for his brother, a poignant moment that was captured on a mobile phone.

"Lord, could you please look after Corey. If you really need him more than us you can. Just please look after him because I will really miss him. He's my best brother."

Corey James Sloan died at 1.40pm on January 16, his father's birthday.

"It was my day," Mr Sloan said. "Now it's our day."

The family is awaiting the completion of a coroner's report before they can announce Corey's funeral arrangements.