KARRATHA FAMILY MOURNS: TAXI DRIVER WHO COLLIDED WITH A 4 YEAR OLD BOY HAS LEFT TOWN DUE TO COMMUNITY BACKLASH
BY TANGIORA HINAKI
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following story contains a story of a beautiful boy who has passed.
Samuel Kleehammer is missed by his family. He was the youngest of the family. Rest In Peace.
A four-year-old boy was hit by a taxi near the Tambrey in Karratha in March 2024.
WA Police confirmed that the incident occurred around 7:45 pm on Sunday, 24 March, along Tambrey Drive.
A white Toyota taxi bus travelling west on Tambrey Drive in Nikol collided with a 4-year-old boy who was attempting to cross the street.
The boy, named Samuel Kleehammer, sustained critical injuries and was flown to Perth Children’s Hospital for treatment.
Sadly, the boy passed away on Sunday, 31 March 2024.
Ngaarda Media spoke to the taxi driver involved in the accident, who said he was sorry for the family's loss.
“It was an accident. The police have cleared me... I am sorry.”
The taxi driver is leaving Karratha due to community backlash.
Kasie Kleehammer and her family still have so many unanswered questions. The family say that WA Police are not keeping them informed. They don't know if the investigation is still ongoing and what the outcome is for the taxi driver involved in the accident.
“How was it an accident? Didn't he hear the first thud the first time? He hit him and kept driving, so he ran him over twice. This is what I saw. I heard a thud, and he kept driving, and then I heard a ‘d-doff’ like a speed bump, and then my baby came underneath the taxi like a rag doll.
I dropped everything and ran toward my sister, and I got him off her, and I dropped to the ground, and I just screamed.
There was no care for me in the hospital. The nurse took me to the toilet, and I ran into the taxi driver who hit my son.”
Ngaarda Media spoke with grandmother Karen Beazely, who says the family want justice.
‘Doesn't seem they have anything to go on to charge the driver because they feel that grandson (deceased) ran out straight in front of the vehicle.”
There was no communication from the Police or offer of counselling. They rang up my son and said they had nothing to go on to charge this driver.
“When somebody has lost a family member, they (police) are supposed to keep interacting with the family who is grieving, but there has been none whatsoever.
There were no answers, and to be told that they go by the house camera that ‘he’d run straight out in front of the car — I am still questioning ..why he put his foot down, sped off and still did not see him on the side of the road. These taxi drivers need to slow down. The Karratha taxi drivers have a reputation for speeding.
The family told Ngaarda Media they want to see the CCTV vision.
In a statement, WA police explained that the family liaison officer and senior crash investigators have been in recent and regular contact with the next of kin and other nominated family members, both in person and via telephone.
Last week, an Aboriginal man was involved in a taxi car crash in Karratha.
“I ordered a taxi at 6 am, and he made a three-point turn and then put the pedal down. Matey explained that he fell asleep, and we ended up in the ditch.
I managed to walk away from the incident unhurt, maybe just a little neck strain. I’m a senior first aid, so as a duty of care, I made sure that he was okay as well. I have seen too many car accidents of that particular service, 13 13 30, and now a young boy lost his life due to a taxi driver. Something needs to happen before something else happens.
I have sent a complaint to Karratha Taxis through the City of Karratha.”
Kasie Kleehammer struggles to live her best life without her beloved son, Samuel.
“I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone. These taxis need to slow down; they are rushing to the next customer!
He wasn't just a son or a little brother; he was a little best friend who was loud, cheeky, and full-on. He loved water and swimming. He loved shit-stirring me. He used to grab hold of my dress, and I’d have to drag him from one end of the shopping centre to the other.
He used to scream loudly in the house and sing random songs. The last video I got is of him singing a cowboy song.
He saved two lives: a 3-year-old girl with his heart and an elderly man with his kidney, and the kidney recipient is no longer on dialysis.
He was rare-blooded, and I knew some people needed something.
It helps a little, knowing that he saved two lives.”
The family are looking for legal advice.