The father of one of the five teenagers killed in Saturday's fatal crash near Timaru says his son was a "happy go lucky kid" who was enjoying life.
Stephen Drummond told 1 NEWS of the awful events leading up to him realising his teenage son Javarney was one of the five boys killed in the accident.
"My daughter got a text message from one of her school friends to ask if Javarney was alive," Drummond said.
"She said I have had two or three text messages asking what’s going on, that’s when I went to the police station and found it was true."
Drummond says the toughest part was waiting to identify the body.
"It was just about an hour's wait to identify the body. An hour seems like 10.
"I’ve got to work through it and there is nothing I can do to bring him back, so it’s something I am just going to have to work through and work through the pain," he says.
Dani Black, who knew all the boys, thought it was a cruel prank when she first learned of their deaths.
Drummond called the incident a "tragic loss for Timaru".
"It’s huge and I’m coping with and I don’t know what to say, I am just really sorry for everyone that has lost a kid and I have lost one myself."
The boys died after the overcrowded car they were travelling in hit a power pole, with such force the Nissan Bluebird split in two.
Speed, alcohol and only a few wearing seatbelts are thought to have been a factor in their deaths at the intersection.
Speaking of Javarney, his dad remembered him as a "really happy go lucky and motivated kid".
"All kids do things they shouldn’t do, he was enjoying life."
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