Father of footy reporter who died in horror traffic accident reveals his heartbreak over dropping a lifelong habit that connected him to his son
It comes a year after the award-winning News Corp journalist was struck by a truck in Richmond and later died in hospital from his injuries.
'I had to, it (number) was too hard to see,' Jacob Landsberger said.
'He's there all the time and (always) in our thoughts, but I couldn't live with the fact his name was in my messages, so I deleted his name as a contact.'
Landsberger was just 35 when he died on August 20 last year, and was widely regarded as one of the nation's finest scribes for his work covering AFL and cricket.
Tragically, Landsberger was speaking to his mother Anne on the phone at the time of the fatal accident.
In March this year, the truck driver who refused a police blood drug test after the accident which resulted in Landsberger's death had his licence suspended for two and a half years (James Latchford, is pictured)
His family continue to mourn the loss of their son and brother, with his father often instinctively reaching for his phone to text Sam about the Western Bulldogs, the club where Jacob was a long serving doctor.
The father and son were also fanatical Bulldogs fans.
As the Landsbergers prepare themselves for one year since Sam's passing, the immense pain remains.
'It's never out of our thoughts,' Jacob Landsberger told News Corp. 'It is in our sleep, every waking moment.
'Have there been any really happy days since? No.'
Before the heartbroken couple go to bed each night, they make a small detour to the entrance of their Melbourne home.
There sits a table featuring two photos of Sam – one as a child and one as an adult – with a flickering electric candle in between.
The flame never goes out - much like the memories of their cherished son.
In March this year, the truck driver who refused a police blood drug test after the accident which resulted in Landsberger's death had his licence suspended for two and a half years.
James Latchford pleaded guilty to refusing to provide a blood test immediately following the crash, with a conviction recorded and a $1,500 fine issued.
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