The father of a teenage girl who was killed alongside four of her mates in a horror car crash said he has no ill will towards the driver.
Tyrell Edwards, 18, was behind the wheel of the Nissan Navara ute when it veered off the road and slammed into a tree in Buxton, near Picton, southwest of Sydney on Tuesday night.
Mr Edwards was the sole survivor, while his five passengers, Antonio Desisto, Tyrese Bechard, Summer Williams, Lily Van De Putte and Gabby McLennan – all aged between 14 and 16 – were killed.
Lily’s father spoke out on Wednesday after the news of the fatal crash rocked the close-knit community.
‘We don’t hold any grudges against the driver because he is going to go through hell,’ John Van de Putte told the ABC.
Lily Van De Putte was one of the five victims killed in the horror car crash in Buxton on Tuesday night
Tyrell Edwards, 18, (pictured) had been behind the wheel of the Nissan Navara ute when it veered off the road and slammed into a tree in southwest Sydney on Tuesday night
Mr Edwards, who had just graduated from Picton High, was arrested for mandatory blood and urine testing but is not in police custody. He returned a negative result when he was breathalysed at the scene.
He observation in Liverpool hospital being treated for non life-threatening injuries as of Wednesday morning. No charges have been laid.
Detective Acting Inspector Jason Hogan said preliminary investigations suggested speed was a possible factor in the crash.
‘We appeal to people to carry out their driving in accordance to the rules and regulations,’ the inspector said.
Year 9 classmate Elly Mount tearfully remembered the five teenagers who died and revealed she almost joined them on the fateful trip
Police are investigating if speed was a factor in the collision in Buxton
‘Obviously, having six people in a four-seater vehicle is inherently dangerous and it should not be done.’
The horror crash has sent shockwaves through Buxton as devastated locals attempt to make sense of the tragedy.
Year 9 classmate Elly Mount tearfully remembered the five teenagers who died and revealed how she almost went joined them on the fateful trip.
‘They wanted me to hang out with them,’ Elly said after laying flowers at the crash site with her mother, Amy Cook.
The horror crash has sent shockwaves through Buxton as devastated locals attempt to make sense of the tragedy
Tears streaming down her face, Elly said she had been closest to two of the sisters, who were top school soccer players.
‘(One of my friends) was an amazing goalie. (Her) mum did everything for me, drove me to games.
‘I don’t feel like it’s real. I am not coping.
‘Who’s going to get up and get their trophies for soccer, their parents?’
Elly said the whole group she had almost gone out driving with, including the two boys, were in Year 9 or 10.
Camden Police Superintendent Paul Fuller said it was ‘one of the worst accident scenes’ he’d seen in 38 years in the force.
Mourners are seen in front of a bunch of flowers left in honour of the five victims