Crash victims’ children ask for their dad
A Taranaki man killed in a car crash last weekend was a hands-on father who devoted life to his three young sons.
Now they’re wondering where he has gone.
‘‘They’re all daddy’s boys,’’ Kaylee Warren said fondly of the relationship her partner of six years, Daniel White, shared with their children, Alexander, 4, Hayden, 3, and five-month-old Corey. ‘‘He loved them... he just doted on them.’’
Less than one week on from the Manawatu¯ crash, which claimed the life of Daniel, 25, and left his younger brother, Thomas, in critical condition, the boys have begun to ask when their dad is coming home.
The reality had also yet to sink in for Kaylee, she shared from the Stratford home of Daniel’s parents, Matt and Marie White, yesterday.
It was much the same for Matt, but he credited the support of family, friends and the wider community for getting him through the past five cruel and exhausting days.
On Sunday, Daniel and Thomas, had taken a trip to Whanganui to source parts for a vehicle when the car Daniel was driving struck a power pole on Huxley Rd, 22 kilometres north of Whanganui, about 11am. The crash is still under investigation.
Thomas was airlifted to Wellington Hospital where he remains in a critical, but stable, condition. Mum Marie and oldest brother Ryan have sat vigil at his bedside.
Matt was not surprised the siblings had ventured out together for the day.
He said Daniel treasured close relationships with his three brothers and would go out of his way to help them any way he could.
In fact, being there for others was a common theme in Daniel’s short, but happy and adventurous life.
Kaylee said he was a dependable partner who proved he could be counted on when the pair found out they were pregnant with Alexander.
Daniel was working for Tegel at the time but insisted on also helping with Kaylee’s workload at a Urenui farm, where she was employed.
This sparked Daniel’s own love for farming life, going on to win second place as Dairy Trainee of the Year at the Taranaki Dairy Industry Awards in 2015.
The couple, who both attended Stratford High School, had farmed in Kakaramea for the past two seasons where Daniel was employed as a herd manager.
Matt said his son had always enjoyed the outdoors and the two would often go on hunting trips together.
Daniel was also determined, ambitious, musically talented and was known to spend too much money on remote control cars and Pokemon cards, he said.
But the only way to really sum him up was that he was a ‘‘cheeky git’’, the family, who relocated to Stratford from Sussex, England, in 2003, all agreed.
‘‘He’s always got a smirk on his face and he’s always happy,’’ said Matt.
Youngest brother, Samuel said no-one was free of Daniel’s humour.
‘‘Every time he would come over he would be making jokes about you as much as possible,’’ he said.
‘‘But as much cheek as he gave me I knew I could turn to him if I needed.’’
Over the phone from Wellington, Ryan said that Daniel was more than just a brother.
‘‘He was my best friend.’’ A celebration of Daniel’s life will be held at the Taranaki Crematorium on December 7.
Warren said the family would like to thank emergency services, Life Flight and Ronald McDonald House.