The death of two young Samoan men killed when their car crashed into a tree at speed has brought much sadness to the Samoan community in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The men killed were cousins and workmates, a grieving friend says.
Cousins Anitelea Tuiai and Vitale Tenisio-Sauila were killed when the car they were travelling in crashed on Brougham St about 1am on Sunday.
Tongan Methodist Church youth group leader Paea Fifita said both of the young men at worked with him at Skope Industries, a commercial refrigeration business.
Fifita had met the Samoan-born Tuiai – known to friends as Telea – through his youth group about three years ago and helped him get a job with Skope Industries.
Tuiai's cousin Sauila, also 24 and born in Samoa, started work with the company about three weeks ago, although in a different department.
Fifita said Tuiai was a former student at Hillmorton High School and had "so much ambition".
He had planned to return to Samoa with his girlfriend over the Christmas period and had plans to start studying.
"He's a very humble person, always willing to help," Fifita said.
"He ... really cared for his mother and family. We miss him – all his smiling faces and everything else, his sense of humour."
Fifita said those who knew Tuiai and Sauila were "still in shock" about the crash.
Fifita's youth group would perform at Tuiai's funeral on Saturday. A family notice published in The Press today, said a funeral service would be held for Sauila tomorrow.
His body would then be taken back to his home country, Samoa, on Friday.
The notice described the 24-yearold, who was known to his friends Finau, as a "beloved son" and "much loved brother".
According to earlier reports, the high-speed crash caused their car to "split in half".
Neighbours say they heard "a hell of a loud bang" when a car smashed into a tree on Brougham St, in Christchurch, killing one young man at the scene, while another died later in hospital.
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The incident was one of three serious crashes in what was a bad weekend on Canterbury roads, including another involving a car crashing into a tree on the same road.
Bolton Ave resident Hayley Harrington, 49, said she heard the crash, looked out a window, saw "a mess" and rang emergency services.
"It didn't look nice from where I was. [The operator] asked me if anyone was injured and I said, 'To be honest I think they will be dead'.
"The tree had come right over the car. I got up at 6.30am and [police] were still here with the car but the tree had gone. They had to use a chainsaw to chop the tree up."
Brougham St resident Duane Burgess, 41, said he and his brother were up late talking when they heard "a hell of a loud bang".
The crash was directly across the road from his Norman Kirk Courts flat.
"We went out the door and straight over. We could have seen inside the car but we preferred not to. I stood [on the road] waving through traffic," Burgess said.
A member of the fire service, a doctor and his wife and police turned up soon after, he said.
Burgess said the car, a silver Nissan Primera, had "split in half" and the tree had been ripped out of the ground.
Another carload of young men who arrived after the crash "were pretty cut up … I think they were together", he said.
Police said the driver of the car lost control while passing another car "at speed" and crashed into the tree.
The deaths were referred to the coroner. Earlier in the night, on Brougham St near Ensors Rd, a car crashed into a tree near a traffic island after changing lanes.
Police said the driver was not wearing a seat belt and had serious head and chest injuries.
The passenger suffered moderate injuries. A car also went into a ditch near Tai Tapu about 12.50am this morning, leaving the driver in critical condition.
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Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart said road users needed to drive to the conditions, wear appropriate restraints and allow enough time to make informed decisions at intersections or before changing lanes.
"In wet conditions, as we had overnight in the city, allow more time for your journeys, keep speeds down and nominate a sober driver," Stewart said.
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