Mr Simmons, who moved to Newcastle nine years ago, died after the vehicle he was driving left the road and crashed into a stanchion of a railway bridge in The Hunter’s Cockle Creek.

Rescue workers freed Mr Simmons from his vehicle, but he died at the scene.

The 46-year-old father of three was the son of former federal Labor MP David Simmons and his wife Kaye.

Speaking from his Merewether home on Monday night, Mr Simmons (senior) said they were still coming to terms with what had happened.

“He was just coming back from dropping his son, Jack, off to stay with a mate, and that’s about it at this stage, that’s about all we know,” he said.

As an MP, Mr Simmons held the Bathurst-based seat of Calare until 1996, moving to Newcastle the following year to head the Newcastle Regional Chamber of Commerce, formally known as the Hunter Business Chamber.

He said Paul continued to live in Bathurst and married Kim (nee McCarthy), and raised a family before moving to Newcastle.

“They have three children,” Mr Simmons said. “Claudia turns 19 on Thursday [tomorrow], Hannah is 16 and Jack is 13.”

Asked how he would like his son remembered, Mr Simmons said: “I heard Kaye say he was larger than life and he was”.

“He was cheeky, a bit in your face, but he was a doting dad and a great husband. A real softy and I think anyone who knew him would come to the same assessment of his qualities.”

Mr Simmons said his son did his electrical trade at Clyde Engineering in Bathurst before going to Charles Sturt University in his mid-30s.

He ran his own electrical business after moving to Newcastle.

Although his son still had a lot of ties to Bathurst, including his wife’s family, “Newcastle was his home”.

Paul Simmons’ funeral will be held at St Philip’s, Kotara Church at a date to be notified.