Monterey crash: Father of two boys killed in collision constantly reminded of their deaths in Sydney’s south
Monterey crash: The father of two boys who died in a crash was constantly reminded of their deaths in southern Sydney
The father of two young boys who died in a horrific accident says he can’t escape a painful memory of what happened just a short distance from his front door.
Xavier Abreu, 10, and his brother Peter, nine, died when the Subaru WRX they were in crashed into a tree on Grand Parade in Monterey, in southern Sydney, last Friday.
The accident happened after a car driven by the boys’ cousin Jimmy Britto crossed the road and crashed into a tree just a short distance from where Sam Abreu and his partner Jivonne Garrido live.
“He drove past our house. I have to live with that. I have to drive by that place and have the memory of my children’s murder,” Abreu said The Daily Telegraph.
Xavier Abreu, 10, (left) and his brother Peter, nine, died when the Subaru WRX they were in crashed into a tree on Grand Parade in Monterey in southern Sydney on Friday night
Mr Abreu said he had just set up a guest room for the boys, who normally lived with their mother Olivia Aliferis, to stay over at the weekend.
“They loved Lego,” Abreu said of the boys he called his “cheeky monkeys.”
Peter had a box full of his favorite toys. It has Lego in it that I need to build. I’m going to put it in his box.’
Mrs. Garrido started one GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral, which had raised about half of the $25,000 goal by Sunday afternoon.
The page states that the local community has joined with friends and familyhow big their hearts are with sincere messages and flowers on the site’.
“We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” the page reads.
Ms. Garrido said she was making coffee when she saw three police cars go by with all the flashing lights and sirens. Then she saw two ambulances doing the same thing, but she had no idea the boys were in them.
Also, Mr. Abreu and Mrs. Garrido don’t know why they were in the car with Mr. Britto and another young girl, who escaped with minor injuries.
The car hit the tree with such force that it was left a crumpled wreck. The bike was flung several feet from the impact along a stretch of road notorious for drag racing.
Mr Britto, 33, has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving resulting in death and one count of causing bodily harm by misconduct.
Although he has received support from Aliferis, who himself was released on bail on August 21 after five months in prison, Mr Abreu and Ms Garrido say they do not feel the same way.
“The damage has been done. I do not understand. It’s pointless,” Abreu said.
He said his boys loved cars and going for rides with their cousin.
Bayside Councilor Heidi Lee Douglas has campaigned for the NSW government to put up speed cameras on the Grand Parade to discourage hoons and drag racing.
The impact catapulted the engine from the twisted chassis and shards of the windshield flew into nearby neighbors’ gardens.
“We’ve tried to prevent this, I don’t want any more fatalities,” she said.
“Even in the few days following the accident, there was an increase in honking in the area. I live here, I could hear it. It was almost like rubbing salt into the wound.’
Since 2018, according to Transport for NSW, there have been eight speeding accidents and one serious injury, before the accident that killed the boys.