Aspiring restaurateur's dreams die with him in Free State N3 crash that killed newlyweds
Ethan Lourens, 20, was killed in a road-from-hell smash on Saturday.
Image: Supplied
Ethan Lourens had big dreams.
The 20-year-old, God-fearing Hoërskool Waterkloof alumnus wanted to one day open his own restaurant and grow it into a successful franchise.
But, two days after Christmas, those dreams died with him when he was killed in a fiery head-on car crash alongside his cousin, Claryke, and her newlywed husband, Zane Hilton.
The three were returning home from a holiday in Ballito when the incident happened on the N3 in the Free State.
Paramedics declared the three dead at the scene, while the truck driver was treated for minor injuries before being taken to the nearest hospital.
For those who worked alongside Lourens, of Pretoria, the loss was almost impossible to comprehend.
He had only recently completed his second year of studies yet was already managing a restaurant — an uncommon achievement for someone barely out of school.
Lourens' friend and colleague, Tanya van den Berg, said she was still coming to terms with what had happened.
A tragic head-on collision on the N3 highway on Saturday claimed three lives including a young Pretoria newlywed couple. Picture: x.com/centralnewsz
Image: x.com/centralnewsz
She said they had known each other for a long time and even studied together.
"Then I got a job at a restaurant, and he was also looking for work, so I introduced him to the restaurant where I was working, and he started working there as well," she told IOL on Tuesday.
"Later, my parents emigrated to Angola, so I was living alone, and he didn’t have parents, so we kind of became each other's parents, if I can say it like that."
Lourens, who was a member of the church Unite180, lived with his grandma from toddlerhood, and later moved in with his uncle.
Van den Berg said she wanted to remember him as a very hardworking person.
"During the full time he worked at the restaurant, he actually got promoted to manager," she said.
"He was so passionate about working with people, and he always told me he wanted, one day when he’s older, to open restaurants all across the country and be very successful.
"I really believe that if he were still here today, he would have been very successful in the restaurant industry."
She also described him as a caring person.
"He cared so much about someone that he would be willing to have hard talks with them, telling them when what they’re doing is not right — but he always did it with good intentions," Van den Berg said.
"He always helped me get back on the right path if I ever started to wander.
"He was very, very caring, always putting others before himself ... I’m glad he had a bit of a vacation after the year he had."
Van den Berg said he had a great sense of humour.
"He was very hilarious, actually," she said.
"One of his favourite things was to always talk to random people.
"When we used to go out, he would always strike up conversations with strangers.
"I always laughed about that because he was very social. Even if it was a security guard or someone at the bar, he was always talking to everybody."
A 25-year-old friend and colleague, who worked closely with him in hospitality, said his talent far exceeded his age.
“At only 19 years old, he was my boss, and I’ve been in hospitality for four years,” she said.
“I have never had a manager like Ethan.”
She described a young man who lived and breathed his work, driven by a desire to constantly improve.
“That man had PowerPoints on his laptop of everything that he thought we could do better in that restaurant,” she said.
“If he could think of a new menu, that he would make a PowerPoint.”
Even outside of work, his mind never switched off.
His goal, she said, was clear: to complete his degree and open his own restaurants.
“All he wanted to do was get his degree because he had just finished his second year,” she said.
“He wanted to open restaurants. He definitely was going to.”
The moment she learned of his death remains vivid.
She was house-sitting when a message from their employer arrived.
“I remember looking at that message and I read it about four or five times,” she said.
“And then when I started typing back to her, I just burst out into tears.”
According to family members, after they heard the news, they found his room to be in pristine condition.
At least three Bibles were found, along with almost 10 plants.
Meanwhile, tributes are still pouring in for the Hilton couple.
Zane's cousin, Warryn, said he was saddened by the news.
"He was like a little brother to me, so many special memories," he said on Facebook of the 25-year-old.
"The pain will always be there, [and there are] so many things we needed to accomplish together.
"I will never forget the time we had together."
Laerskool Magalieskruin said on Facebook: “Our deepest condolences and sympathy to the family and friends of Zane & Claryke Hilton on their sudden passing.
“Zane was an ex-Gallie and was also part of our after-school staff for a while.
“Our prayers are with all their loved ones.”
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