Parents Push for Harsher Penalties After Son's Fatal Hit-and-Run
A family is advocating for stricter laws and accountability after their teenage son was killed and left by a distracted driver.
The family of Bryson Dimovski, a 14-year-old who died after being struck by a driver distracted by his phone, is renewing calls for tougher sentencing and the closure of a legal loophole. Bryson was riding his e-scooter home in Warners Bay, New South Wales, in July 2023 when he was hit by then-21-year-old Jaycob Gemza.
Bryson's body struck the car's windscreen and rolled down an embankment, where it was not discovered by police until six hours later. Gemza stopped briefly but then left the scene without calling emergency services. Bryson's parents and friends had driven past the crash site multiple times during their search for the teen that night, unaware his body was nearby.
"He just left him there," Bryson's father, Andrew, told A Current Affair. "He ran back to his car, drove off and left Bryson for dead. Like he was nothing, [but] he wasn't nothing." His mother, Melissa, added, "He was left there like road kill."
Gemza pleaded guilty to failing to stop and assist, and to negligent and dangerous driving. He was sentenced to five years in jail, with eligibility for parole after three years and three months, meaning he could be released as early as February 2029. The maximum sentence for each charge is 10 years.
"We've got a life sentence, he doesn't have a life sentence," Ms. Dimovski stated.
Bryson's parents are also campaigning to expand the four-hour window for drug and alcohol testing after a collision. Gemza allegedly consumed alcohol before driving and, by the time he surrendered to police after seeing a social media post about Bryson being missing, it was too late for him to be tested for substances. Judge Paul Marr, in sentencing Gemza, urged those in the courtroom to turn off their phones, stating, "They [phones] are a distraction to you and to me. We each share a responsibility to others on the road."
A petition for "Bryson's Law," which garnered 20,000 signatures, was recently rejected by NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley. Despite this setback, the Dimovski family remains determined to prevent similar tragedies.
"It's not about revenge. It's about accountability," Mr. Dimovski said. "It's about deterrence, so no other family walks in our shoes."
His wife added, "Bryson deserved nothing less than this."