Two brothers killed in two road crashes

Flowers adorn a tree at Maraetai where Michael Jones, 18, died. Photo / Paul Estcourt

A family has been left devastated after the deaths of two brothers in separate car crashes on the same stretch of road.

Michael Paul Jones, 18, was killed when the car in which he was a passenger hit a tree on Maraetai Drive, east of Auckland, on Friday.

His older brother, Christopher Harry Jones, died on the same stretch of road in January 2009. He was 17 at the time.

The boys' devastated parents, Wayne and Raewyn Jones, now face organising a funeral for a second child.

In a public notice for Michael, they said they would miss their "big baby boy" and his happy laughter and jokes.

Mr and Mrs Jones declined to talk about the tragedy yesterday, but a family member said losing the two boys so close together was a "nightmare".

In a message posted on a public tribute webpage, the boys' sister Lisa-Ann Jones said she couldn't believe both her brothers were dead.

"I'll never understand why you left me alone and I'll miss you both forever ... can't believe my brothers are gone," she wrote.

Both accidents happened in the middle of the night - and in both cases the cars were being driven without headlights on.

Alcohol was a factor in the first crash and is also suspected in last week's accident.

The driver in that crash was only moderately injured, and is likely to be interviewed by police on Friday. No charges have been laid.

Constable Steve Carey, of the Counties Manukau serious crash unit, said wearing a seatbelt would have "almost definitely" saved Michael's life.

Michael's friends plan to wear black singlets and jeans as a mark of respect at the funeral for the apprentice panel beater and former Howick College student's funeral.

They will travel in a convoy to the funeral.

Mr Carey said: "We urge young drivers to be responsible and look after their mates because often there are no second chances.

"Young people often feel invincible when they get behind the wheel of a car. These tragedies demonstrate they are not - especially when alcohol is involved."

Christopher Jones was alone in his car when it smashed into a power pole on Whitford Rd on January 10, 2009.

The crash that killed Michael Jones wasn't the only serious accident in South Auckland at the weekend in which alcohol is suspected to be a factor. Two others occurred within hours of each other on Sunday morning, leaving two people in hospital.

The July road toll yesterday was 16, four fewer than the total for the full month last year.

A series of fatal crashes in recent weeks have reversed months of record lows that have contributed to a much lower road toll for the year - the lowest in about 30 years.

Yesterday, 155 people had died on roads this year. At the end of last July, the figure was 219.