The Australian actress Jessica Falkholt has had her life support switched off and remains in a critical condition in a Sydney hospital more than a fortnight after the horrific crash that killed her parents and younger sister.

The 29-year-old has been fighting for her life in St George Hospital since being pulled from the wreckage on the NSW South Coast along with her 21-year-old sister, Annabelle, on Boxing Day.

Annabelle died as a result of her injuries three days after the smash.

The hospital on Friday confirmed Jessica’s life support had been switched off saying it will provide the next update on Jessica’s condition at midday.

“She remains in a critical condition,” the statement read. “The family has asked for privacy during this very difficult time.”

The Falkholt’s family car was hit by a four-wheel drive near Ulladulla on December 26. The sisters were pulled from the wreckage before it erupted in flames with the bodies of their parents inside.

The driver of the four-wheel-drive, 50-year-old Craig Whitall, was reportedly travelling home from a Nowra methadone clinic. He too died in the collision.

Whitall was a habitual traffic offender with more than 60 convictions to his name, according to News Corp Australia.

The New South Wales roads minister, Melinda Pavey, says the government is looking for a way forward and will investigate the “terrible set of circumstances” that led to the deadly crash.

“We have been spending hours within government trying to get a sense of the best way forward because we do understand this has created great concern within the community because we all know it could be us,” she told 2GB radio on Friday.

“Everything that the community expects us to do to keep them safe has not worked in this instance. That is, to be brutally honest and frank, the situation we’re all facing.”

Pavey said the government was not happy with the horror road toll over the holiday period.

News that Jessica’s life support had been turned off came two days after her three family members were farewelled at a funeral at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Concord.

The Falkholt family was remembered as an inseparable and radiant group.

Jessica has reportedly undergone several surgeries, including the removal of a kidney and part of her skull, and has been in a coma since the crash.

The 29-year-old found fame on the small screen as Hope Morrison in Home and Away, with the long-running TV soap paving the way for her feature film debut in the forthcoming supernatural thriller Harmony.

Following reports her life support had been turned off, Home and Away tweeted: “Rest in peace, beautiful Jessica Falkholt.”

A star of the show, James Stewart, tweeted “RIP Falkholt family” late on Thursday night.

“You are a beautifully deep and incredibly unique soul I had the pleasure of knowing ... I will always miss you,” fellow Home and Away actor Jackson Heywood wrote on Instagram.