A 15-year-old boy, remembered as a hard worker who could light up any room, has tragically died following a workplace accident on the Gold Coast just six months into his job.
A Tragic Morning on Site
The incident occurred around 7am on Monday at a building site in Surfers Paradise. Beau Bradford was concreting when an object fell from the boom of a pump truck and struck him. Paramedics provided extensive treatment at the scene before rushing him to the Gold Coast University Hospital, but his injuries were too severe.
"They worked on him for a long time before they could even transport him," Beau's heartbroken mother, Amanda Dalrymple, told 7NEWS.com.au. She described the agonising decision to turn off his life support, stating, "I'm about to have to turn his heart machine off because he's already gone."
A Light Extinguished: Remembering Beau
Beau is being mourned by his father Cameron Bradford, his eight-year-old sister Irah, and his extended family, who say they are "heartbroken beyond words." His mother described him as perpetually happy and "a light in the room."
"He was very funny. He loved dressing up. He loved his shoes. He loved his friends and his family, and he loved working," Dalrymple shared. She fondly recalled his quirks, like playing his "gangsta music" in her car and enthusiastically explaining his video game, Rust, to her.
Beau's aunt, Alicia Downs, said the teenager "wasn't built for classroom walls" and had left school to pursue concreting full-time. After initially working at Domino's, he took up the concreting role about six months ago and was due to sign his apprenticeship papers in the coming weeks. He dreamed of one day running his own company.
"He had a work ethic that many adults spend a lifetime trying to find," Downs wrote on a GoFundMe page established to support the family with funeral costs and other expenses.
Calls for Safety and Investigation
In the wake of the tragedy, Beau's mother has issued a powerful plea for authorities to review and improve safety rules for machinery and equipment on construction sites to prevent similar incidents.
Queensland Police have described the death as "sudden and non-suspicious." Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) confirmed it was notified and that inspectors attended the site. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident is now underway.
Tributes have poured in from Beau's workplace and friends. The concreting company he worked with called him "the heart of this crew," praising his rare attitude and work ethic. Friends gathered at the hospital to say goodbye, remembering him as someone who always knew how to brighten everyone's mood.
