Not the time for blame game after fatal crash kills five, Timaru mayor says

Monday, 9 August 2021

Melissa Bryce was one of the first two people on the scene at Saturday's fatal crash where five teenagers lost their lives.

Timaru's mayor is warning the community against rushing to blame the driver of a car involved in the death of five teenagers.

The South Island's worst crash in two decades happened shortly before 7.30pm on Saturday, at the intersection of Seadown and Meadows roads in Washdyke.

Javarney Wayne Drummond, 15, Niko William Hill, 15, Andrew George Goodger, 15, Jack Graeme Wallace, 16, and Joseff Alan James McCarthy, 16, all died at the scene.

The 19-year-old driver, Tyreese Fleming, who was on a restricted licence, was the sole survivor. He remains in Timaru Hospital and has not been interviewed by police.

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Niko Hill, left, Javarney Drummond, centre, and Andrew Goodger, right, were among five teenagers killed in a car crash on August 7.

He posted a photograph with a message from his hospital bed on Sunday, apologising for his “stupid mistakes” and saying he was “very very lucky to still be alive”.

Nigel Bowen, the district's mayor, said it was not the time to judge. It was time to mourn the loss of the five young men and consider their grieving families, he said.

“We need to put ourselves in their shoes and perhaps think about how they would like to be treated through this, including the family of the driver.”

Timaru woman Melissa Bryce was one of the first people on the scene of the crash in Washdyke on Saturday.

Melissa Bryce, who was among the first on the scene, also had sympathy for Fleming. She found him trapped in the car, which hit the pole so hard it split in two pieces.

It was dark, but she could see the heads of two people, who were not moving.

Fleming's voice then broke the silence: “How the f… did I survive this?”

She believed he made a “stupid mistake”.

“I know he's got a long road ahead of him. I know he's going to be very remorseful and really be hating himself right now.”

After finding him in the car, Bryce introduced herself and asked Fleming if he knew what had happened. He was aware there had been a crash, she said.

Aoraki area commander Inspector Dave Gaskin looks over the wreckage of the Nissan Bluebird, which was cut in half on impact.

The engine was still running, so she asked him to turn it off. She asked more questions, such as his name, age and what the group had been doing. Fleming told her they were heading to a party.

The teenager was “in shock”, Bryce said. He had his phone in his hand and asked her to call his mum.

“I told her that her son had been in an accident, that it wasn't good, and he would like her to make her way down there.”

Fleming then spoke to his mum. Bryce overhead him say he “f…ed up”.

Tyreese Fleming, pictured as a 15-year-old in June, 2018, at Caroline Bay's skate park.

“I could tell in that conversation that he was very remorseful. You could hear it in his voice the whole time.”

Fleming's mother was “in hysterics” when she arrived, Bryce said.

“I did apologise that I didn't sugarcoat the conversation, but she thanked me at the same time because she said it wasn't as big of a shock coming down knowing what she was expecting.”

Bryce gave her details to police before leaving the scene. The past few days had been “a bit rough”, but she had a good support team around her.

She had not spoken to Fleming since, but wanted to at some stage down the track.

Warning about planned gathering

In a Facebook post on Monday, Timaru Boys' High School said police had notified them of the gathering planned for Friday. There had been a suggestion of burnouts at the event.

“Due to the likely age of the participants and some very real safety concerns, the police do not want this event to take place. If you hear that your son is involved in this, please discourage him from attending. We will do the same at school,” the post said.

Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Dave Gaskin said police would be present if it went ahead.

He questioned the appropriateness of holding a memorial with participants driving “loud cars” and organisers encouraging them to “tear up the road as much as you want”.

The five teens who died “weren't members of the anti-social driving community”, Gaskin said.

“They were just young boys who got caught up in a tragic event.”

Police were yet to speak to the driver, who remained in a serious but stable condition in hospital, Gaskin said.

The five teenagers were killed instantly when the car they were travelling in crashed on Seadown Rd in August 2021.

They did not know where the group were going or what they had been doing in the hours leading up to the crash.

It was “absolutely far too early to even speculate” on the likelihood of charges, he said.

Police suspect speed and alcohol were factors in the crash. Some of the teenagers killed were not wearing seatbelts.

Niko Hill, pictured at Aoraki Alternative Education in 2020.

Javarney Drummond's father, Stephen Drummond, told Stuff on Monday he was yet to speak to Fleming's family.

He did not know what happened before the crash, but believed the group had met up at the skate park in Caroline Bay.

His son went to primary school with Fleming and they later attended high school at Mountain View High School.

Drummond believed Fleming had only just got his restricted licence about three months ago.

A funeral for Andrew Goodger will be held on Thursday, while a service for Javarney Drummond will be held on Friday.

South Canterbury secondary schools were supporting students and offering counselling to those affected by the deaths on Monday.

Mountainview High School principal Kenny Diamond said several students and former students were involved in the crash.

“We are devastated by the news of this tragedy with staff and students struggling to come to terms with the terrible loss of these young men.”

Roncalli College principal Chris Comeau confirmed one of the teenagers was a recent student.

Timaru Boys' High School said Niko had been a student at the school until the end of term 1 this year.

“He had a close set of friends and enjoyed playing rugby during his time here,” the school said in a Facebook post.

“We held a short assembly to acknowledge the pain and sense of loss that our community will be feeling, and to inform students how to access support.”

Support is ‘out there’

Caroline Perry, spokesperson for national road safety charity Brake Aotearoa New Zealand, said there was no doubt the crash would have a “devastating impact” on the community.

It was important for parents to keep the lines of communication open with young people, Perry said.

“We often talk to our little kids about road safety, but we need to be talking about being drivers and passengers as our kids get older. We need to talk about wearing seatbelts, ensuring we are keeping to the speed limit and speaking up to mates when they are not doing the right thing.”