Teens lost in tragedy
Remembering two students killed on the footpath
THE deaths of Gold Coast teenagers Jye Strong and Nathan ‘Tubsy’ Sprecak in February 2008 was a moment which shocked the city.
The Southport High School students, then aged 16 and 15 years respectively, were on their way home when they were hit by a car and killed while on the footpath of Labrador’s Kumbari Ave on February 7, 2008.
It was the first day at school for the year for both boys, with Jye about to start a schoolbased apprenticeship.
The pair stopped in a convenience shop to get cans of soft drink in the minutes before the collision.
Jye died at the scene while Nathan remained on life support for a few days before succumbing to his injuries.
Neighbours and nearby shop owners ran to help, with a local nurse working to try and save the boys.
Milena Kovacevc witnessed the crash from her front garden.
‘‘It was terrible,’’ she said. ‘‘Their bodies were broken.” Among the first on the scene was Mark Kretschmar.
“We heard this sickening thud and I went running out and saw two people lying on the footpath,’’ he said.
‘‘Both of them were in a pretty bad way, there was
nothing I could do for them.
‘‘I put my hand on his back to steady him and he was only breathing every 15 seconds really painfully.’’
The scene became a makeshift memorial for the boys, with many students leaving flowers and spray-painted messages on nearby fences and signs.
Nathan’s mother Rebecca
Glasby revealed her son’s organs were donated, something he had been passionate about since childhood.
‘‘Hopefully lots of families will receive phone calls with good news because of Nathan,’’ she said. ‘‘He was a wonderful kid and his death is a big loss to the community.
‘‘We are very thankful for the support we are receiving
from friends, family and the children of the Gold Coast.’
Tania Winifred Clark who was behind the wheel of the car which hit the teenagers pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to nine years behind bars after an appeal.
The Supreme Court in Brisbane heard the New Zealandborn woman was unlicensed
and affected by a cocktail of drugs while rushing to meet with both Centrelink and her Parole officer.
The court was told Clark deliberately drove 30m along the footpath in an attempt to overtake a car and blamed her victims for the crash, telling police the boys stepped into her path and “you can’t compensate for that level of stupidity”.