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AWARD-WINNING VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY – NZCNA Thursday, July 26, 2018
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Vol 47, No 30
Crash victims named By THERESE HENKIN
T
he teenagers who died in a devastating car crash on Friday morning have since been named as 17-year-old Nathaniel (Nathan) Quist and 13-year-old Ella Berrington. The crash that claimed their lives took place at around 4.30am on Friday when the car they were driving crashed into a commercial building in Udys Road/Johns Lane. One media report says the car apparently came off the road, snapping off a lamp post, before going down a bank and crashing into the car park of the building. The vehicle was discovered hours later and police were called to the incident at around 7.20am. Following the crash, the dark coloured Honda Accord they were driving was reported stolen, police have confirmed. Police believe speed was a factor, with the car breaking into four parts upon impact with the building. Over the weekend, heartfelt messages to the two teens have flooded social media. Ella Berrington was a Year 9 student at Pakuranga College. A family member told the NZ Herald that the Berrington family was “hurting so deeply right now”. “Our family needs time and space to grieve and pull everything together to have the best send off for Ella,” they said. “It’s going to be tough and there are no words that could help make this situation any easier.” Pakuranga College principal Michael Williams has reportedly been in contact with the family over the weekend and says he is focussed on giving them the support they need. In an email to parents he said her death would “create a void” in the school. The email also granted students permission to attend Ella’s funeral as an excused absence and parents were encouraged to seek out guid-
FATAL CRASH: Friends and family have since created a memorial at the crash site where they have been gathering to pay tribute to the two lives lost. BOTTOM LEFT: Heartfelt messages cover the walls of the carpark where the teens crashed. BOTTOM RIGHT: 13-year-old Ella Berrington and 17-year-old Nathan Quist.
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ance councillors for their children if needed. Bucklands Beach Intermediate, which Ella also attended, posted a tribute to the youngster, expressing their condolences to her loved ones. “A life lost too young. With love from us all,” the post read. A friend of Ella’s took to Instagram to say that she “can’t believe” her best friend is gone. “We done so much together and I thought we could do so much more, I thought there would have been many more years to come,” she wrote. Nathan, 17, was a Tamaki College student who expressed on Facebook his desire to one day join the navy. His uncle Lyndell Juggernau told Stuff that Nathan was the oldest of four siblings and was “courageous” and “full of heart”. Another family member posted to Facebook “What a man he was going to become...we will miss you and love you always.” A friend of Nathan’s expressed how much she and others would miss him. “For you Nathan my brother, words cannot explain how much me and everyone else will miss you. You were taken way too soon,” she wrote. This week a large group of around 20 friends gathered in the car park where the teenagers died to remember and say goodbye to Nathan and Ella. The walls of the car park are covered in heartfelt messages for the pair. The crash is still under investigation by the Serious Crash Unit. ■ As part of their enquiries, police want to hear from anyone who witnessed a vehicle matching the description of the dark-coloured Honda Accord driving near Pakuranga Road around 4.30am on Friday July 20. Contact Constable Gabrielle Griffiths on 021 192 1542 or Sergeant Ben Thornton on 021 191 0737.
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