The death of 32-year-old former world champion Melissa Hoskins was reported by the Australian Olympic Committee on Sunday, following which The Guardian, The Independent, and several other outlets also published the news. Hoskins was a two-time Olympian, and it has been declared that she was struck by a car in Adelaide on Saturday and later died in the hospital soon after she was rushed following the accident.
It has been reported by the national broadcast ABC that behind her death is her husband, 33-year-old Rohan Dennis, also a former Olympian and world champion.
As per the investigation, Dennis has been charged with being irresponsible and driving dangerously, which caused the death of his wife, Hoskins. The ABC outlet has reported Dennis being charged and arrested for endangering the life of the two-time Olympian, Hoskins, which led to her death.
What is the cause of Melissa Hoskins’ death?
Firstly, the South Australian police made a release on Sunday stating that a man was charged and arrested following a crash in the Adelaide suburb of Medindie on Saturday after 8:00 PM. The names of the victim and the man being charged were not veiled.
Later on, the BBC cited the same police report and made a note on the identities of the victim and the man who is “widely reported in Australian media” and unveiled that they are Dennis and Hoskins. When attempts were made to reach out for comments on Monday, a spokesperson for the SAP police said that they were “unable to confirm identities in SA” to the people.
Details that were shared by the police in the release say that authorities were initially called to Avenue Gardens Road following a report of an accident involving a woman being hit by a car.
As per the release, a 32-year-old woman who “suffered serious injuries” had died overnight in Royal Adelaide Hospital, and the 33-year-old driver “who was known” to the woman was arrested and charged with causing her death due to his careless, dangerous driving, driving without your care, and endanger life after an investigation. According to the release, Dennis has been bailed and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on March 13.
On the 2023 Christmas 25, Dennis posted a family photo that included his wife Austin and their kids in front of a decorated tree, along with the caption, Merry Christmas from our family to yours. Dennis and Hoskins started dating in 2012 and got married in 2018, following which she gave birth to a son in the same year, and then in 2021, they had a daughter.
As per the sports illustrated, Hoskins was a two-time Olympian and had represented Australia in the team pursuit events of 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. She had also won a championship at the 2015 event in France.
After Hoskins’s death, AusCycling’s Chief Executive, Marne Frencher, said, “Melissa described her team’s pursuit of a gold medal at the 2015 World Championships as the highlight of her career, but for the rest of us, the highlight was just having her around,” in a statement given on Monday as per the Associated Press.
The death of Hoskins has left her family in a devastated condition. As they said, “Not only have we lost a daughter and sister, but her children have also lost their mom, a freewheeling spirit, a giver with a big heart, patience, and zest for life,” as per the release through AusCycling.
While sharing their emotions in the remembrance of their daughter, Hoskins’ family said, “She was the rock of their life and ours, and we need to honor her memory so they can grow up knowing who she was, what she stood for, and what she gave to everyone whose life she touched.”.
