‘Rest in love’: A tragic end to four young lives
Police have described ‘‘horrific scenes’’ after a crash that killed four teens in Invercargill.
The boys, three of them from the small community of Bluff, are yet to be named but tributes were already flowing yesterday as the news spread following Friday’s crash. The three boys from Bluff were 16. The other victim was 17.
On social media, the brother of one of the Bluff victims posted a photo of them together with the words ‘‘fly high little bro I love you so much’’. The teen’s mother replied ‘‘rest in love my baby boy’’.
Police escorted family members onto the crash site yesterday morning and Southland area commander Inspector Mike Bowman said this was to help them get a better understanding of how it happened. ‘‘It’s to help with the grieving process.’’
Police staff were ‘‘shook up’’, Bowman said. ‘‘It was a horrific scene . . . It’s a tragedy for any family to have to go through this.’’
It has been a horror Anzac weekend on the roads so far, with crashes also claiming three other lives, in Levin, Whangarei and Whakatane. The road toll is already higher than Easter’s.
The Invercargill fatal involved a Ford Ranger and a truck carrying concrete on Queens Drive just before 4pm on Friday. Members of the public rushed to help after the crash, with one posting a video of the aftermath that was later removed from social media.
Bowman thanked those who rushed to help after the crash, but told them to ‘‘look after yourself’’.
He would not speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Local man Nathan Tane said visibility had been poor and it would have been easy to miss a white or black vehicle if they didn’t have their headlights on.
Bluff Community Board chairperson Raymond Fife called it ‘‘tragic’’. He knew the families involved well and was distantly related to one of the victims. ‘‘Our thoughts go out to the families ... They had their whole lives ahead of them and it’s abruptly ended.
‘‘It’s a tragedy and the community are all rallying around them to give them as much support as we can . . . It’s a sad day for the Bluff community.’’
A bunch of flowers lay in front of a ‘‘road closed’’ sign near the crash site. A note on the bouquet said ‘‘ . . . forever grateful to be able to know you all.’’ On a nearby side street, a young man sat in his car, head in his hands, sobbing.
Tane said he heard a ‘‘horrific smack’’ and said he just knew something serious had happened. ‘‘It’s actually the thing that’s stayed with me the most, the sound of it,’’ he said yesterday morning.
He jumped into action directing traffic, but the incident had shaken him and his partner. ‘‘We both had to
sit down and have a cup of tea and a smoke when the road was sorted.’’
Tane has been living on the busy road since 2014 and is no stranger to crashes.
The power box in front of his house had just been moved onto his section because it had been hit so many times, he said.
However, this crash was unlike anything he had seen and there was a sombre mood in the neighbourhood yesterday morning, Tane said.
Southland fire brigade’s district manager Julian Tohiariki said attending fatal crashes like the one on Friday evening had an impact on his staff.
There were support systems in place and there was expected to be a debrief yesterday. His staff also attended a homicide in Invercargill overnight.
Police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the crash.
Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt said he was devastated to hear there had been multiple fatalities and the crash was going to affect families throughout New Zealand. ‘‘The families will be suffering a terrible loss tonight. My thoughts and prayers go out to them.’’
Nearby resident Anna Gubb said she heard the crash and it sounded like a gas tank exploding.
Gubb said the section between St Andrew St and King St on Queens Drive could be slippery when it was wet. It was the second crash in that area during the past six weeks, she said.