The driver who allegedly kicked football star Sam Kerr’s grandmother has been charged with one count of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
The man, 63, will appear in the Fremantle Magistrates Court in Western Australia on February 4.
It comes after Coral Kerr, 89, got off a bus in the south-west Perth suburb of Palmyra about 11am on Friday local time when the driver allegedly mounted the curb in an attempt to overtake the bus before hitting her.
At the time, Sam Kerr and her father Roger were at the picturesque Krinklewood Estate in the NSW Hunter Valley attending the wedding of her long-time Matildas teammate Emily Van Egmond to partner Kat Thompson.
Sam understood this and her father Roger learned of the tragedy when Roger at reception rushed to organize a flight back to Perth to be at his mother’s hospital bedside.
Pictures from the Palmyra scene show the patio with extensive damage to the hood after the vehicle struck a utility pole before hitting Kerr.
Sam Kerr is pictured with his beloved grandmother Coral Kerr who is in a serious but stable condition in hospital after she was hit by a car near her home in Perth on Friday.
Kerr was at the wedding of Matildas teammate Emily van Egmond to her father Roger when she learned of the crash in Perth
The car allegedly drove onto the footpath in an attempt to overtake the bus where it hit a utility pole before hitting Kerr – a man, 63, has since been charged with one count of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm
A somber Sam Kerr at Sydney Airport on Saturday after the news of her grandmother
Kerr is pictured being comforted by fiancee Kristie Mewis before flying to Western Australia
Coral’s neighbors and bus passengers who witnessed the crash rushed to her side to help her as she lay on the grass beside the footpath.
“She really wasn’t very responsive, she was very sweaty and messy… I think she was in shock obviously,” neighbor Mary Ivey told 9News.
Witnesses claimed that a series of cars pulled up behind the bus and that the driver tried to overtake it by driving onto the footpath.
Chelsea striker Kerr, 31, and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, 33, who is from the United States, had both spent time with Kerr’s family over the Christmas break.
The couple announced in November that they were expecting a child and had flown back to Australia for the Christmas holiday.
The Chelsea star is recovering from an ACL injury that could keep her out of action until March 2025.
Before learning of the crash on Friday, a beaming Kerr posed for pictures alongside Mewis with Ireland and Arsenal star Katie McCabe, as well as her partner Caitlin Foord.
Matildas stars Clare Polkinghorne, Mackenzie Arnold and Steph Catley were also in attendance, while Lydia Williams who has just retired from international football following the Paris Games also posed for snaps wearing a glamorous red and white dress.
Emily Van Egmond’s national team mates were on hand with Kerr (second from left) posing for snaps with her partner Kristie Mewis (left). Arsenal star Katie McCabe (second from right) and Caitlin Foord (right) joined the pair for a photo
Clare Polkinghorne, Foord, Mackenzie Arnold, Steph Catley, Lydia Williams and Hayley Raso (L-R) also dazzled as they posed for snaps at the venue
Kerr’s long-time Matildas teammate Emily Van Egmond (left) was all smiles after marrying partner Kat Thompson
About two and a half hours outside of Sydney, Krinklewood Estate sits on 150 hectares of land nestled close to the Brokenback mountain range.
Van Egmond popped the question to Thompson last June and posted the happy announcement on Instagram with a series of photos near the beach in San Diego, California.
Born in Newcastle, not too far from her chosen wedding venue, Van Egmond started playing football from a young age and is the daughter of former Socceroo and Newcastle Jets coach Gary Van Egmond.
The San Diego Wave star has enjoyed a glittering career after making his first professional appearance for the Jets back in 2008.
The midfielder would go on to be capped 153 times by the Matildas and play for the team in three Olympic Games.
The Australian side are currently without a permanent coach with the hunt likely to extend beyond the February international window.
Football Australia (FA) recently said it is committed to taking its time to appoint the right long-term candidate.
Former mentor Tony Gustavsson left in August after the Olympics, with interim coach Tom Sermanni leading the Matildas in six friendlies since being appointed in September.
The interim reign could continue into and passed February’s SheBelieves Cup as the FA considers candidates for the next four-year cycle.
The coach will have to lead Australia in the 2026 Asian Cup at home and qualify and compete in the 2027 Women’s World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
