Bus crash tragedy: ‘We’re in it together’
The crash that claimed the lives of Auckland father-of-three Christopher Tobin and his baby son Jack struck on his partner Olivia Kronfeld’s 31st birthday.
The grieving family have opened up as they try to piece their lives back together after the head-on crash with a double-decker bus in Mt Eden on Tuesday afternoon.
Tobin, 51, died at the scene. The couple’s two children, Jack, 1, and Elle, 2, were rushed to the Starship hospital, both in a critical condition.
Elle was released with multiple skull fractures and a splint in her arm several days later, but Jack’s injuries were so severe, the family made the impossibly difficult decision to turn off his life support at 11.11am on Friday.
‘‘He died a minute later, being rocked in his mum’s arms, but before he did, it was really sweet, he opened his eyes one last time then went to sleep,’’ Lamour Duckett, Olivia Kronfeld’s sister, said last night.
‘‘It’s still so surreal, no one has had time to accept it yet, just because it’s been blow after blow. We’re taking it not even a day at a time, but an hour at a time.’’
She said the day started with father Christopher – nicknamed Tuffa – looking after the kids so Olivia could be treated to a morning of birthday pampering.
‘‘It was a really chill morning – laughing, joking around and eating cake. Everyone had cleaned up the house so she didn’t have to worry about any of that.’’
Around 2.30pm, Christopher, who worked as a landscape and design artist, offered to take his father-in-law Greg back to work after he had stopped in for Olivia’s birthday lunch.
‘‘Naturally, because Dad was going for a car ride, Elle wanted to go for a car ride; and because Elle got to go, Jack wanted to go too; and then because the family was going, Fox the family dog had to go,’’ Duckett said.
‘‘It got to about 4 o’clock and they still weren’t home. Then it hit home when Mum went outside and saw police officers walking down the driveway – and she just knew.’’
Vivienne, the couple’s six-year-old daughter, was struggling to come to grips with the loss of her father.
‘‘He would take Vivienne to school before work, so now she asks ‘how is papa going to take me to school and make me laugh every morning?’
‘‘We’re trying to explain to her that he’ll still be with us but we’ll be making her laugh now.’’
Duckett said the loss would leave a gap that could never be filled.
‘‘Christopher was really passionate about his kids and Olivia – he absolutely loved them, there was nothing that he wouldn’t do for them.
‘‘And Jack was cheeky and curious – he managed to make everyone happy, he just captivated everyone he met.’’
The official cause of the crash is still unknown and police investigations are ongoing.
Duckett said the family have also reached out and were in contact with the bus company.
They wanted to give their ‘‘wishes and deepest sympathies to the bus driver as well, because it would be absolutely traumatic for both him and his family.
‘‘We are trying to let them know that it’s not only us in this situation, we’re in it together.’’
Duckett said Olivia and the family were amazed and overwhelmed at the support shown on the family’s Givealittle page.
‘‘She sits there and she reads every comment, sometimes she’ll cry, sometimes she’ll laugh and she’s just astounded at how far it’s reached and how many people have offered their own little mini-stories and telling her she’s not alone.’’
A joint funeral will be held at the Manukau Memorial Gardens on Tuesday at 2pm.
He opened his eyes one last time then went to sleep. Lamour Duckett