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An 18-year-old from Melbourne’s northern suburbs is being remembered as a “beautiful young man” after he was killed in an early morning three-car crash on Saturday.
Cesare Liberatore was on his way home from Federation Square, where he spent the early hours watching the Socceroos lose their World Cup game against the USA.
Liberatore was a passenger in a Mitsubishi Triton utility that police say crossed onto the wrong side and veered into two oncoming vehicles at Attwood.
He died in hospital surrounded by his family.
Cesare – named after the Roman ruler by his history-loving parents – left his home in Tullamarine about 11pm with some work friends.
Cesare’s last message to his father was sent at 4am, but his father was sleeping and didn’t see it until 7am.
With Cesare still not home hours later, Zarr Liberatore, eventually learned of the accident when a friend of his son’s phoned him.
Zarr then called his own mother, Mary. “He was beside himself,” Cesare’s grandmother said. “He was just saying, ‘He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone.’”
Mary was driving at the time, and stopped in the middle of the road, paralysed by the shock. She eventually needed her sister to drive her to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where the family spent three precious hours stroking Cesare’s face and saying goodbye.
“We celebrated his 18th birthday two weeks ago tonight, and had a beautiful night with 30 family and friends that loved him dearly,” she said.
“We’re just all in shock. It’s just unfathomable that he was so young, handsome, and smart, talented, and footy and sports, and just to have his life snuffed, [it’s] just not fair. He was the most beautiful boy in the world.”
Mary Liberatore spoke to this masthead on Saturday night. Having cried herself dry over Cesare’s death, she now wants to share with people how special a young man he was. Zarr and Cesare’s mother Simonetta are much the same.
“Everyone loved him, and he always wanted people to laugh. He was so charismatic, he would light up a room,” Simonetta said.
And he loved the round-ball game.
“He was playing up until this year, he did his ACL, unfortunately, when he was 14,” she said, “but he even went back to it after that, because he just loved being around his mates and being in amongst it.”
“We have had countless friends that have been contacting us today out of the blue, even friends from primary school are reaching out to his sister, so it’s been really wonderful to hear how loved and special he was.”
The 18-year-old driving the car Cesare was in remains in a critical condition in hospital, as does the 17-year-old who was the front seat passenger. The drivers of the two other cars involved, men in their 20s and 50s, were taken to hospital for observation.
Police continue to investigate what caused the crash. But regardless, Simonetta says there are lessons from her trauma.
“Drive safe, kids, you know. It’s a big responsibility that these kids have got, taking lives into their own hands.”
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