A nine-year-old boy died on his way to buy new football shoes with his mum in a car crash allegedly caused by a drunk woman.
Kristie Fiona Anne Merrett, 51, was arrested after the tragic accident, during which she was allegedly found to be four times over Australia's legal alcohol limit.
She crashed her Lexus SUV onto a Toyota sedan at the intersection of Mort St and George Evans Rd at Killarney Vale, on the central north coast of New South Wales, Australia, after failing to stop at a give-way sign at the intersection.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 12.45pm (local time) on Wednesday, January 4.
They extracted the boy from the wreckage before he was taken to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital in an emergency helicopter.
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James was heading to the shops with his mother Anastasia (Gofundme)Sadly, James Lachlan Edds, 9, died at the hospital three days later on January 7.
James' mum, Anastasia Edds, 42, sustained minor injuries at the accident and was treated by paramedics before she, too, was taken to the hospital.
According to the police, Ms Merret recorded an alcohol level of 0.197 after the accident. She was not injured during the collision.
James' death was announced by his aunt, Nicole Micos, on social media on Sunday. She wrote: "Tragically, James was taken from us way too soon."
9-year-old James was dragged out of the wreckage after the tragic accident (TNV)Ms Micos said her nephew - who was an only child - "fought so hard" until the end, which was a "testament to how strong and resilient little James was".
She wrote: "James and his mum, my sister Anastasia, were on their way to grab new shoes, so he could kick his new soccer ball he bought with his Christmas money, when their car was hit by a drunk driver."
And added: "If you were lucky to have met James you would know how much of an incredible little legend he was.
"James loved kicking a ball around with mum, jump on the trampoline with his mates, eat yiayias cheese pie, play monopoly and Uno with dad and so much more."
Ms Micos also launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the Edds family.
The accident occurred in Killarney Vale on the NSW Central Coast (9News)Ms Merrett has been charged with a number of crimes including dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence and has been released on strict conditional bail. She will return to court on January 27.
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The woman, who lives in Bellingen, is reportedly a popular tattoo artist in the area and a single mum of three.
According to a 2017 interview in Focus, a local arts and culture magazine, Ms Merrett moved to the community in 2001 and joined small tattoo studios in nearby Coffs Harbour.
Kristie Fiona Anne Merrett was allegedly drunk when she hit a Toyota last week (9News)She also periodically hosts solo art exhibitions to display her large oil canvases, including a 2017 exhibition called 'The Ephemeral Art of Krys Merrett' - she was supported by her father and two adult sons at the opening.
In her magazine interview, she said: "I find the world a very shallow place, with little relevance or support to the human being or our evolution. Somehow art softens the blow of the harsh reality of life and the world around us."
She described her work as "symbolic, eternally feminine, and fertile".
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