A young father who lost his life in a single-vehicle crash at Lake Macquarie last weekend has been described as a family man who loved getting under the bonnet of a car to tinker.
Nathan Card, 22, died last Saturday when his red Holden sedan left Macquarie Road at Cardiff and hit a power pole at about 4.15pm.
He and his partner Alyssa Hingston - who share 16-month-old son Bentley - lived together in Mount Hutton, after the labourer spent time growing up in Sydney, Victoria and some regional areas.
Ms Hingston has set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money to help give Mr Card - who she described as "the love of my life" - the send-off she says he deserves.
The pair shared a love of cars and often tinkered with them together as a hobby.
Ms Hingston said she hopes Bentley will have the same passion for motor vehicles and join her in the pastime she shared with his dad one day.
"He loved his cars. Any opportunity he got, he would be under the car or the bonnet," she told the Newcastle Herald on Friday.
"He was an apprentice mechanic for just over a year but left and continued to pursue his passion for cars. We worked on cars every moment we got. He taught me so much."
Ms Hingston described Mr Card as "very funny and definitely the life of the party". She said he had a lot of mates, a "cheeky smile" and who loved everyone around him.
"Nath was the most caring son, brother, father and partner," she said.
"He would go to the end of the world for anyone, no matter the situation.
"Every afternoon he would come straight home and hug Bentley before he said anything to me. He was the best dad any kid could ask for."
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash that killed Mr Card.
They are preparing a report for the Coroner.
