One of the first people on the scene of a horror crash in Invercargill says he will never get the faces of the victims out of his head - and after losing his own daughter in an accident last year he knows exactly what their parents will be feeling today.
Several people died when the 4WD vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck on Queens Drive in the southern city just before 4pm yesterday.
Police are expected to release more information later today about the crash - how many people were killed and who was involved.
Logan Lalovaea and his wife were about 20m away from the impact and he spoke to The New Zealand Herald this morning.
The couple live out of Invercargill and had travelled into town to pick up items from the pharmacy.
While they were waiting to collect their items they decided to park at Queens Park - and had not been there long when the carnage unfolded.
"We were just watching traffic and saw the truck, then we heard a big bang and the truck's brakes," Lalovaea said.
He ran straight towards the scene.
He believes the driver of the 4WD may have lost control, and the vehicle crossed over into the oncoming traffic, hitting the truck head on.
A car in between the two vehicles swerved and narrowly missed being part of the impact. Lalovaea said the woman in that car got out and ran to help.
He started filming, thinking the information he captured may help police later.
His own daughter died in a crash last year and his instinct was to document what had happened from the start.
"When I first saw the ute I just knew there would be no survivors," he said.
"The truck driver was very, very upset - understandably. I feel really sorry for him."
Others rushed in to help including an off duty nurse and surgeon.
Lalovaea said it was "very traumatising".
He cried while speaking to the Herald and said: "It's not something you ever want to see".
"I didn't sleep last night… seeing those boys… it was very brutal.
"It was pretty horrible… I lost my daughter, my only child in a car crash last year - so seeing something like this was traumatising.
"I'm still grieving the loss of my daughter and the to see something like this… I keep seeing those young boys' faces."
Lalovaea said he knew in part what the victims' families would be going through today.
"You can't imagine what it's like to get that phone call from the police…I really do feel for the families and I also feel for the truck driver and his family - he is going to suffer big time.
"Lives lost right in front of him… Hopefully he's got good support."
Lalovaea said he had removed his footage from social media out of respect for the families of the victims.
He reiterated that he only started filming in case he could capture details that would assist police.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing and Serious Crash Unit officers have been back at the scene since first light today.
The wreckage has been removed but a section of Queens Drive remains cordoned off.
