Dr Jake Landsberger says it is devastating to think his son Sam “is not with us anymore”. The heartbroken father says he would love to show the talented young journalist the endless flow of tributes from colleagues and the AFL community tot him since his death on Tuesday. Sam Landsberger died in an accident on Tuesday.
“I just keep saying to my wife this morning I wish I could just grab him one more time, wake him up and say, ‘have a look at all these tributes that are happening for you over the last 12 hours, because it is incredible’,” Jake Landsberger said. Sam, 35, passed away after he was struck by a truck crossing the road at the intersection of Bridge Road and Church Street in Richmond about 10.20am on Tuesday.
His loss has been felt heavily across the Melbourne sporting community. Landsberger said his son was an “unbelievable young man” who had a passion for journalism, sport and the Western Bulldogs. The pair were thick as thieves for more than two decades at Whitten Oval, where Jake served as the club doctor for the Bulldogs.
“He was passionate about the footy, he went to every game with me,” Landsberger said. “He was in the rooms with me from the age of about five or six every week. “He drove home with me after games, he sometimes went to training with me, so he loved his footy, he loved his sport.
” That united love of the Bulldogs would bring the family a series of unforgettable memories in the drought-breaking premiership year of 2016. T.