A father facing charges over the death of his 3-year-old son last night told of his heartbreak and shock at watching his only child die in a submerged van.
Ashish Macwan (32) said there were no words to describe how he and his wife, Kinnery Macwan, were feeling after the freak crash on Thursday claimed the life of their son Aarush.
The family were travelling the South Island with two family friends for an Easter break when they stopped their Toyota Hiace van at a layby near Cromwell.
Mr Macwan, the driver, stopped to stretch his legs and was facing away from the van when it suddenly rolled backwards towards a bank and plunged down into the cold Lake Dunstan.
The adults and an 11-year-old scrambled free with the help of passers-by but Aarush was trapped in the back with his safety belt on 5m below the surface.
Rescuers, including Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper and district councillor Jeff Hill, dived into the lake but it was too deep and cold to save the toddler.
Mr Macwan was charged with careless driving causing death soon after the incident.
The horror of seeing it happen is haunting him and his wife and preventing them from sleeping, despite being medicated. Mrs Macwan was taken to hospital yesterday with high blood pressure but was home again last night.
Through tears and surrounded by friends yesterday Mr Macwan said he was unsure what the future held.
"He was our reason for living," he said.
"Somehow we are just praying to the Lord, asking Christ to give us the power to live ... without him."
Having Aarush was the best thing that had happened to him and his wife.
He believed the van was in gear and would not move so is unsure what happened.
One officer told him if it was in his hands he would not have been charged, but he accepted it.
"That's their job and I understand that."
Aarush - "an unbelievably charming little boy" - only started kindergarten at EduKids a short while ago and was quickly coming out of his shell.
"All the teachers loved him. He was quiet at first, especially when he doesn't know a place, but after a few days he opens up.
"It was the same about New Zealand. Whenever I said to him `do you want to go back to India' he [answered] `no I don't want to go back to India'."
The family came to Auckland from India in July 2010.
Mr Macwan is a sales professional and Mrs Macwan is three months from completing a post-graduate diploma in education.
He said the little boy was happy during the trip, driving between Mt Cook and Queenstown.
"He was loving it."
Mr Macwan said his parents were planning a trip to New Zealand at Christmas especially to see Aarush.
A friend of the family could not believe he had been charged.
"What can he say? He has already paid for it."
Mr Macwan will appear in court on Wednesday.
