Within a month of the crash, Tony was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state, and doctors said that he was unlikely ever to regain consciousness, but his father Ron (Vince Earl) was determined to help him recover. Jimmy helped out with fundraising to help the Dixon family find a cure, but Tony died in February 1994. At the request of Ron, Jimmy was a pallbearer at Tony's funeral, but finally cracked under guilt at the graveside and confessed that he had caused the crash.