Police officer's heartbreak after discovering crash victim was her father
A police officer on her way to work has been left shattered after she attended a crime scene to find her own father was the victim.
On October 21, Senior Constable Sophie Thomson was on her way to work when she stopped to see if her Victoria Police colleagues needed any help at a hit and run scene.
She was rushed away very quickly and was told at the scene her father, David Thomson, was dead.
Mr Thomson, 60, was cycling on La Trobe Street at Delacombe, near Ballarat, when he was struck and killed by a driver in a silver car.
"My world instantly broke, dad had been tragically killed on the way to work, and what's worse, the coward didn't even stop or brake afterwards," Snr Cont Thomson told reporters on Tuesday.
"I had unknowingly attended my dad's own crime scene."
Mr Thomson was cycling to improve his fitness so he could keep up with his grandchildren and continue playing cricket.
He was also the reason Snr Cont Thomson became a police officer.
"Dad's absolutely everything to me. I called dad every Sunday, we have a chat. He's just the world to us," she said.
Her brother Dylan told reporters their father was a well-loved member of the community.
"He was going back to play competitive cricket again and trying to just do the right thing for himself and get on the bike and ride to work," Dylan Thomson said at the press conference.
Search for driver continues
Police are still searching for the driver who struck and killed Mr Thomson.
Detective Senior Constable Sandro Lombardi said there were two types of people — the "good" people who would stop and render assistance following a crash and the "worst of people".
The latter being someone who would not stop to render assistance and flee the scene.
"Unfortunately, on this occasion, the driver has fled," he said.
Det Snr Const Lombardi appealed to the driver to come forward to police, saying the Thomson family needs answers and closure.
He also appealed to members of the Ballarat community to come forward if they know the driver involved in the crash.
"I really want to stress that if you have knowledge of this car, and who's involved, please don't have allegiance to the driver; do the right thing for the family," he said.
Images of the car have been released by police. Det Snr Const Lombardi described it as a "silver coloured sporty-looking vehicle". It's believed the car’s bonnet and windscreen were damaged in the incident.
"Please, if you've seen something, say something," Snr Const Thomson said.
"You might be holding on to the missing piece of a puzzle that we need to get a tiny bit of closure which we desperately need."
She also appealed directly to the driver, pleading for them to hand themselves in and saying no one could live with this kind of guilt.
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