Man caused crash that killed his kids
A man who caused a crash that killed two of his children stepped on the accelerator rather than the brake when he hit a gravel road.
The car, which was travelling over 120kph, spun out of control and its passenger side smashed into a tree.
Ghomer Dulay, 46, pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving causing death and two charges of dangerous driving causing injury at the Christchurch District Court yesterday.
Emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash on Rakaia Terrace Rd, Hororata, at 2.38pm on August 5.
Khatricia Dulay, 19, and Ian Laurence Dulay, 17, died at the scene.
Dulay is the father of the two teenagers who died, his 22-year-old daughter Christine Dulay who was also injured, and the husband of the second injured victim Virginita Torregosa. He suffered moderate injuries in the crash.
Dulay arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines in 2015, and married Torregosa in 2019. The children came over in May 2023 with the intention of studying and working.
On August 5, Dulay planned to take his children out for a drive to see snow for the first time. They left in their 2007 Nissan X-Trail about 1.50pm, after Christine and Khatricia finished work, according to the summary of facts.
Dulay was driving, Torregosa was in the passenger seat and his children were in the back with Christine on the right, Ian in the middle and Khatricia on the left.
Dulay drove out of Christchurch on State Highway 76, following GPS instructions on his cellphone. He continued southwest and arrived at Rakaia Terrace Rd, driving northwest. The road is a straight, flat rural road with a derestricted speed limit and a chip seal surface, the summary said.
About 2.5km northwest of the intersection with Te Pirita Rd, the surface changes from chip seal to gravel. There is a large yellow warning sign either side of the road about 160m from the change.
Dulay hit the accelerator rather than the brake when he hit the gravel surface at about 120kph. Within seconds, he lost control of the vehicle. The rear of the car swung, then it veered to the right hand side of the road, across a grass area and struck a tree. The car spun around the tree and stopped on its roof.
Dulay got out of the vehicle and pulled his partner and Christine out. He was unable to pull his other two children out. Khatricia and Ian were pronounced dead at the scene. Their deaths were caused by high energy impacts to the head, chest, pelvis and limbs.
Torregosa spent 10 nights in hospital with impact injuries to her left side. Christine remains in hospital undergoing regular surgeries after suffering a fractured eye-socket, ribs, and injuries to her limbs and torso. She was in court on Friday as her father entered his guilty pleas.
Christchurch Boys’ High School students were informed of the death of Ian Dulay who, at the time, was a year 10 student who started at the school during that term.
“Our love is with Ian’s family. We know how excited they were about being here,” principal Nic Hill said in a newsletter.
Friends and family of the victims also paid tribute to the pair.
Tanya Villa said she had been in an online relationship with Ian for eight months, but had yet to meet him in person.
Instead, she would see his body when it returned home. “I cannot still accept the fact that you're not here any more. You have a lot of dreams for both you and me. You will always have a place in my heart. Rest now my love I know that you are already in good place right now,” she said.
Ghomer Dulay declined to comment to police.
Judge Michael Crosbie remanded him on bail to be sentenced in July.