Family pay tribute to crash trio
The three young lives cut short in a crash in Levin belonged to a loving father, an aspiring builder, and an openminded good guy, family say.
Lane Cotgrove, 25, was older brother to Porirua men Shand Cotgrove, 24, and Jesse Simonsen, 18, who died when the car they were in crashed into a parked truck and trailer shortly after midnight on July 30.
The third victim, 23-year-old Jacob Gray, was like a brother to Cotgrove too. ‘‘As much as Shand and Jesse, he was a brother.’’
Family and friends were still coming to terms with the sudden loss, but Cotgrove said he was trying to focus on the good memories they had, growing up together in Titahi Bay.
‘‘I want to remember my brothers as the individuals that they were.’’
Shand and Jesse were the youngest two of four brothers, and they were empathetic, helpful and happy, Lane Cotgrove said.
‘‘They knew a lot of people because of their kindness. They were very personable.’’
Shand Cotgrove was a father who had ‘‘all the time in the world’’ for his kids.
Lane didn’t want to say how many children his brother had, just that they were well-loved.
‘‘He was a fantastic father. He loved his kids. He loved them and he had all the time in the world for them.’’
About a week before the accident, Shand Cotgrove moved to kind Levin to be closer to family.
The last time Lane Cotgrove saw Jesse, his youngest brother, was about two weeks before the accident, to congratulate Simonsen on a building job he’d just landed.
The 18-year-old had been doing well in a building apprenticeship, Lane Cotgrove said. ‘‘He enjoyed being that builder. He was really hands-on.’’
Gray was a good guy, with a ‘‘massive bushy beard’’. ‘‘He was incredibly open minded, he was a fantastic person to be around.
‘‘We’ve had a lot of very deep and meaningful talks over the years.
‘‘His massive bushy beard was a wonder. That’s something I’ll definitely remember.’’
All three young men were ‘‘massively social’’ and would leave a huge hole in their community, Lane Cotgrove said. Lane Cotgrove said his brothers would be farewelled in a joint service in Porirua, but they were yet to confirm a time. Gray’s funeral will be on Monday in Johnsonville.
Lane has set up a Givealittle page to try and raise money for the funerals of all three men. More than $1800 had been raised by early Thursday afternoon.
Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash and an inquest would take place.
Lane Cotgrove said police had been great and he was optimistic they would get to the bottom of what happened in the moments before the crash.
‘‘I’m confident they will be able to finish their investigation successfully.’’