Scenes from the aftermath of a fatal crash in Mount Roskill, Auckland. Video / Hayden Woodward, Dean Purcell
An Auckland family is suffering a double tragedy after a young man died in a single-car crash early last Sunday morning, one year to the week after his older brother also died as the result of a car accident.
Kalvin Hamilton, 21, had just days earlier attended a memorial for his brother, Jake Hamilton, who was 23 years old when he died on September 17 last year.
"This is any parents worst nightmare," friend Carmen Prime said on a Givealittle page fundraiser that has been set up to help the family pay for another funeral.
She described Kalvin Hamilton as "a good young man" who had "a quiet and gentle soul".
"This week was already a sensitive time for family and friends, but we never imagined to have to repeat it," she wrote. "In times like these we wish to all be together, but unfortunately with Auckland just coming out of level 4 it has been difficult to do so.
"We hope Kalvin has found his peace, as he's reunited with his big brother and best friend."
Police said the crash occurred at around 1.30am on Sunday on Dominion Rd, a major thoroughfare through Auckland suburb Mt Roskill.
Kalvin Hamilton died Sunday after a single-car crash in Auckland, one year after his older brother's fatal crash. Photo / Supplied
"The driver has lost control at high speed at the Dominion Rd and Mount Albert Rd intersection," a police spokesperson said. "The vehicle has then rolled and continued on hitting power poles and the front of a building.
"The driver was the only occupant of the vehicle and died at the scene."
A piece of concrete smashed through the window of Ganesh Goundar's nearby house, waking him to what he described to the Herald as a "massive bombardment".
"I thought there was a plane crash right on top of the house," he said.
Fences were wrecked and a local resident's window damaged when the crash sent debris hurtling into the property. Photo / Dean Purcell
One year earlier, Prime had set up a similar Givealittle page for Jake Hamilton, describing him as "a BMW enthusiast, adventure lover, fisherman, hard worker, gamer and a brother to many".
"But most importantly he was a good person with a humble heart," she said. "His legacy lives on through all the people he impacted in his life."
He fought to recover from his crash, which occurred in West Auckland on September 12, 2020, but he was declared brain dead on Sept 17 and one day later his organs were donated to those in need, his friend said.
"It has been a rough week for all involved, and even harder to deal with due to the Covid-19 restrictions in Auckland," she said last year. "It has definitely been the most unexpected tragedy to process and financial situations are tough at times like this.
"But knowing that he is not suffering anymore and saving other people's lives is how he would've wanted it to be."
