Popular barman Dean Dewhurst (28) was killed in the early hours of Monday in Clitheroe, England, when his Volkswagen Golf collided with a truck.
His parents were killed in a crash less than a mile away 19 years ago - an accident Mr Dewhurst survived.
Mr Dewhurst, then 8, was in the back seat with his two younger brothers. It was the start of a family holiday.
The children all survived the crash and were raised by grandparents and other family members.
Mr Dewhurst spent about 18 months in Queenstown from 2013, working at The Find.
Friend and former boss Gary Livesey said the news was devastating.
''There'll be several hundred people in town who knew him really well because he was that much of a social legend of a dude.
''He was friends with everyone.
''It's horrible, so sad to know what he went through and then have it happen to him; heartbreaking.''
Hundreds of people have paid tribute to Mr Dewhurst online, including Queenstown's Vinyl Underground bar manager Matt Bennell and others from the resort.
Mr Dewhurst's friends were meeting last night for drinks.
The fun-loving football coach and player moved to Wellington in 2014, then back to the United Kingdom.
Mr Livesey, in his online tribute, said Mr Dewhurst was ''one of the most positive, hilarious, big-hearted humans'' he had ever met.
The investigation into the cause of the crash continues.
