"The pain is unbearable": Nick Campo's family speaks out
The parents of a Perth teenager who tragically died in a car crash have started an emotional campaign for road safety in the name of their late son.
Budding footballer Nick Campo, who had just turned 18, was the rear passenger in a Toyota HiLux that rolled and collided with a Jeep Patriot in Perth’s southern suburbs on Saturday night and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Campo's parents Daniel and Bianca told 9News of their "unbearable pain" since the sudden and tragic loss of their son.
"My Nick, he was definitely one of a kind," his mum Bianca said. "I knew he was special, but he was really special to a lot of people."
"And he was a beautiful boy, and he's going to be missed by so many, so many people."
His father Daniel said his son was "the complete package" but was best known for his quick wit cheekiness.
"If you had to sum Nick up in one word, 'cheeky'," he said. "From day dot .... Cheeky, cheeky."
Sitting in the ute alongside Nick at the time of the crash were two of his teammates from the South Fremantle Football club, as well as the 17-year-old driver and one other young man.
"He loved footy, he loved cricket, he just was so committed," his mum said.
"He loved getting around all the boys, you know all the teammates. He loved being in the clubs."
The 17-year-old boy accused of being behind the wheel, who was also injured in the crash alongside one of the other passengers, is facing serious charges.
Another boy is fighting for his life in Royal Perth Hospital.
Nick's parents are praying their son's friend pulls through and don't want other families to go through what they have gone through.
"(Because) It is, it is the worst nightmare that you can imagine and the pain is unbearable," his mum said.
The family is now channelling their grief towards a road safety campaign called "Call Out for Nick".
"If it doesn't look right, that person doesn't look right to drive, the habits - it's got to be called out," his father said.
"We see it every day - young kids they think they're bulletproof, they're not."
Image credits: Nine