The last 10 days of September proved to be the deadliest on the North Island roads with more than 10 fatal crashes and 7 deaths that included two Indians.
25-year-old Pavin Pramoth worked in an Auckland based electronic sales company and had to travel to New Plymouth region for business where his car hit the power pole and he died on the scene on Saturday, September 24.
Pavin’s car crossed the mid-line and crashed on the right side of the road hitting the pole that tilted on his car. According to a witness, the driver door bashed into his body without causing much harm and he succumbed to serious injury on the forehead. The accident took place on Ketemarae Road, Hawera in South Taranaki at 4:15 p.m.
“He was supposed to meet me for dinner, he was not answering his call so I thought he [might] have been tired from his journey [and] gone to his motel to rest,” said Pavin’s friend Arun Thangarasu, who lives in New Plymouth.
“I got a call from the police at 10:45 p.m. to come and identify the body. I then informed his parents in Tamil Nadu, India,” he added.
“He was a cheerful and an adventurous guy and was supposed to travel to India for the first time since he arrived in New Zealand in April 2013,” said his friend from India in Auckland, Santosh Parameshwaran.
In another accident, Jaspreet Singh Spal, 21, died of serious head injury when his car crashed on State Highway 1, south of Waiouru and half a kilometre away from Spring Hill.
Jaspreet, who hailed from Ludhiana in Punjab, had completed one-year engineering course from Manukau Institute of Technology and was living in South Auckland. He was sitting on the passenger seat while travelling to Wellington with his two friends. The driver and his friend in the rear survived the accident and are being treated in hospital.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the news. He was an intelligent and a very cheerful guy,” said Jaspreet’s cousin, Jasdeep Singh who lives in Papatoetoe.
AA, Auckland Tamil Association and the Indian High Commission in Wellington made contributions and other arrangements to send Pavin’s body to India on Wednesday, September 28.
Arrangements to send Jaspreet’s body back to India are being made by the Sikh community in South Auckland.