In Geraldine, Canterbury, three people were killed when a campervan they were travelling in hit a barrier at the intersection of Te Moana Rd at State Highway 79 before catching fire around 1am. Video / George Heard
Three people killed in a campervan crash in the South Island were undergraduate students from the same university in Singapore.
Emergency services were called to the crash on Te Moana Rd, near the small South Island town of Geraldine, around 1am on April 17.
The rental campervan hit a barrier at the intersection of Te Moana Rd at State Highway 79 before catching fire around 1am.
On Monday, police named the victims as Sherwin Chong Shi Yun and Xinyue Yang, both aged 21 and Jia Jun Vincent Lim, aged 24.
Police said their deaths have been referred to the coroner.
The three victims attended the National University of Singapore (NUS).
A NUS spokesperson told the Herald the university was “deeply saddened by the unfortunate road accident in New Zealand involving our undergraduates”.
“This is a difficult time for their families, and we have been in touch with them to provide all possible assistance and support. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones during this period of grief.”
All three of the campervan’s occupants were killed. Photo / George Heard
Hato Hone St John Ambulance communications manager Ethan Woods confirmed they were notified of the crash by a member of the public.
“Emergency call handlers and dispatchers are highly trained professionals and are there to provide immediate support and care to patients and their whānau.
“However, they are human, and repetitive exposure to traumatic jobs can take a toll over time. While everyone has their own ways of dealing with this, we encourage our people to invest in their wellbeing and have several support systems in place that can be accessed when needed, from manager debriefs and support, our Peer Support Programme to our Member Assistance Programme (external psychologists and counsellors) and an in-house Health and Wellbeing Team.”
The campervan was owned by Tourism and Travel Ltd, based in Canterbury, and had been hired by the group.
The owner of the company earlier told the Herald the incident was distressing for staff.
Emergency services at the crash in Geraldine on April 17. Photo / George Heard
He declined to comment about the people that hired the campervan but said it was not a local group.
It’s understood all 11 met the following evening to debrief the events of the crash, and individual counselling was offered to each firefighter through Fire and Emergency NZ.
Geraldine Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Graeme Mould told the Herald last week it was “one of the most severe” jobs he’d ever attended.
“The newer ones, I’m not sure they’d been to a crash of that magnitude before - but it was a traumatic event. None of us had been to anything that major in recent times,” he said.
“It’s one of the more severe ones. You don’t know a lot until you arrive at the scene.”
Mould said the job itself was well-executed by volunteer fire staff.
“It was just a sad event.”
The scene of a fatal crash in Geraldine, Canterbury where three people died in the early hours of April 17. Photo / George Heard
Traffic on the stretch of highway had increased over the past six to 12 months, Mould understands - the spike bringing with it a higher risk of accidents.
“Our condolences go out to everybody involved, all the families connected.”
Timaru district councillor and long-term Geraldine resident Gavin Oliver said talk of the crash has continued to circulate around the township.
