Devastating twist after young couple were both killed in horror car crash – as grief-stricken pals reveal their shocking heartbreak
03:36 EDT 02 Jul 2024updated
03:36 EDT 02 Jul 2024updated
A young couple expecting a baby have been identified as victims of a fatal crash.
Simran Shiuagani Mala, 25, and her partner Jamie William Pitman, 35, were found dead at the scene of the crime near Queenstown, New Zealand, late on Thursday night.
A heartbreaking roadside memorial was erected on Malaghans Road, where relatives left flowers, a teddy bear on butterfly wings and a pair of pink baby shoes.
The local couple are reportedly due to welcome their baby in October, and devastated friends and family have paid tribute to them on social media.
One woman expressed her condolences to Mr Pitman and his partner’s whānau – the Māori word for family – ‘and our unborn pēpi’.
Another said she was “at a loss for words.”
“It’s been almost 20 years since my dad brought you into our lives and you became part of our whānau,” she wrote on Facebook.
‘If I had known two weeks ago that we would be speaking for the last time, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you about cars and lawnmowers.
“We’re going to miss all the random phone calls and visits. You’ll always be remembered, Jamie.”
“Sending you my condolences… my heart aches right now… you will both be terribly missed but not forgotten,” a third person posted.
Pitman’s father, Brent Cook, said he will cherish their brief phone conversations for the rest of his life.
“Rest in peace, son, I love you and will miss you. And I love daddy,” he said.
One of Ms. Mala’s friends said she will always remember her as “bubbly and cheerful.”
“Everyone who knew her is in shock over her death,” she said Star News.
‘I found her to be a breath of fresh air; she was so kind to everyone she met.
‘If someone was feeling down, she would cheer them up.’
Another said their loss was “absolutely devastating.”
According to police, the two-vehicle crash also involved a Millbrook Resort shuttle bus.
Three ambulances and a rescue helicopter arrived at the scene at Dalefield, halfway between Queenstown and Arrowtown, around 10pm.
“Our crews assessed and treated one patient in moderate condition and four patients in minor condition, all transported by road to the Lakes District Hospital,” a Hato Hone St John spokesperson said. New Zealand Herald.
Five people were injured and taken to Lakes District Hospital, where one person was treated for minor injuries.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.