From left: Aman Rambarath, Rebecca Rambarath, Rosemary Gopichund, Terisha Gannie, Taheer Gannie, Ajay Gopichund and Kevar Gopichund. Front row: Ayaan Rambarath and Ehsaan Gannie.
Image: Supplied
THE family of Kevar Gopichund, one of three young men killed in a tragic M4 crash, is appealing for witnesses to come forward as they seek answers about the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The victims died in a single-vehicle crash on the M4 Durban-bound near Walter Gilbert Road last Saturday afternoon.
The group of ten friends, travelling in three vehicles, were on their way to the Durban harbour for a deep-sea fishing trip when the crash happened.
At the time it was reported that five young men were travelling in the vehicle that crashed into a tree in the centre median a few hundred metres from the Suncoast intersection robot, near Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The occupants of the car were identified as driver Kevar Gopichund, 24; passenger and vehicle owner Theolin Dorasamy, 23; and rear passengers Rizwaan Julai, 17, Ethan Naidoo and Kaydan Pillay.
Gopichund and Dorasamy were trapped in the wreckage and died at the scene. Rizwaan Julai later succumbed to injuries. Two others survived the crash and remain in hospital.
From left: Theolin Dorasamy, Rizwaan Julai and Kevar Gopichund.
Image: Supplied
Ajay Gopichund, 54, Kevar's father, said they were devastated and desperate for clarity on what caused the crash.
“I am humbly requesting any drivers who may have witnessed the accident to give us information. There were no other cars involved. My family and I would like closure on how this accident took place,” he said.
“There is nothing that can bring these children back but it will help my family and I find closure. Please help if you have any information.”
Gopichund questioned how the vehicle left the roadway and climbed the curb before crashing into the tree.
“I would like to know if they were pushed off the road, if it was a road rage incident, whether it was human error or if the driver tried to avoid something on the road. The fact that we do not know anything is heartbreaking,” he said.
“How did they get over the curb and hit a tree? It must have been something that happened. It does not just happen out of nowhere.”
He said the uncertainty surrounding the moments before the collision deepened the family’s grief.
“We can’t determine what happened seconds before the incident and that is really hurtful.”
Gopichund also criticised what he believed was a delayed emergency response.
“I was informed about the accident. Various ambulances arrived only 30 minutes later. If one ambulance had arrived early, there could have been a chance to save them,” he said.
“A metro police vehicle was parked at that robot but they never made an attempt to rush over, despite being so close to assist, until a second metro police vehicle was passing by and stopped to assist.”
The grieving father described the emotional toll the loss had taken on the family.
“My wife and I are shattered. It is so hard to explain an experience that you have never felt before. It is absolutely devastating to lose a child,” he said.
“I spoke to my son just before he left on Saturday to go fishing with his friends. They were so excited and he wanted to celebrate his belated birthday with them.”
He also appealed for compassion after social media speculation suggested alcohol may have played a role in the crash.
“Social media says that my son was drunk. There were no alcohol bottles in the car and these children were good boys. They were friends from the time of primary school and we never had problems with them,” he said.
“It is so sad to read these comments under a post about our son dying. People have no sympathy for us. They are assuming things that we do not know even happened. It is not right to assume what could have happened, we were not in the car to assume what happened.”
Gopichund said he would wait until the surviving passengers had recovered before asking them about the crash.
“To the two boys who are in hospital, I hope they recover well. I will not go and ask them questions now as it is unfair to their families. I will wait a few months until they are better and able to speak to me so they can tell me what happened from their view,” he said.
“We just want closure for our boys who passed away.”
Colonel Boysie Zungu, spokesperson for the Durban Metro Police said the Metro officers acted correctly as per their duty.
"In this situation the Metro vehicle stationed at the robot cannot move from its spot because it was assigned there. The reason is that they are responsible if something else happens at that position. They are posted on certain routes and cannot leave unless their supervisor instructs them to or they request a replacement, otherwise they will face consequences.
"However, Metro vehicles passing by can stop. Those officers posted at the robots would have called for help; that's why the second Metro vehicle stopped. They handled the situation correctly," said Boysie.
Anyone with information about the crash can email [email protected].