Speed possible factor in fatal crash
The man killed when a car flipped, smashed into a fence and caught fire was 24-year-old TJ Walker.
Emergency services were called to the collision on the corner of Wakanui Rd and Rapley St, in Hampstead, Ashburton, about 3am on Saturday.
It is understood Walker died at the scene. Three others were seriously injured.
Walker’s father, Steve Walker, posted on Facebook that he was ‘‘the best son anyone could ask for’’.
Walker’s partner, Sera Tarbotton, who is understood to have also been in the car when it crashed, said in a post on Facebook that she was ‘‘truly lost and heartbroken’’.
‘‘You were my whole world and I don’t know how to deal with all of this. I’m so heartbroken that you have left us. We had so many plans for this year and the rest of our future,’’ she wrote.
‘‘I will forever love you TJ and think of you every day on how you made me feel so special, loved and safe with you, also how much you made me smile and your cheeky little grin that I loved so dearly.’’
Senior Sergeant Phil Dean said an investigation into the crash was under way.
‘‘Part of our investigation will be trying to establish the speed the car was travelling at or if there’s any other causes including the condition of the car and the road . . . and toxicology reports.’’
Dean said police would also check whether any CCTV footage exists in the area.