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The accident that killed Myka Tuala occurred on State Highway 1 in Hikurangi in Northland on New Years Day. (File photo)
A Wellington boy who died just a month before his seventh birthday in an accident in Northland is remembered as a happy, kind and gentle boy who was loved by all who knew him.
Police continue to investigate the cause of the two-car accident on New Year’s Day that killed 6-year-old Myka Tuala.
Myka died on January 1, just a month before her seventh birthday, according to a Givealittle online page that was created by a friend of her family.
“Our dear friends Charlotte and Jay have had the most devastating start to the New Year,” the page read.
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“His beloved son Myka was involved in a car collision that tragically resulted in his death.
“Myka’s personality was a true reflection of the loving family environment in which he grew up. He was a happy, kind and gentle boy who was undoubtedly adored by all who knew him.”
While her parents, Charlotte and Jay, were in the process of bringing Myka’s body home to be with them, they had asked for privacy while they made funeral arrangements, the page said.
John Bisset / Stuff
National Highway Traffic Safety Director Acting Superintendent Gini Welch urges drivers to play their part in reducing road deaths. (File photo)
It was created in the hope of easing any financial burden, so the family could focus on grieving Myka, who was “loved,” she said.
The page had more than $ 5000 in donations on Sunday night.
The accident occurred on State Highway 1 in Hikurangi, just north of Whangārei in Northland, around 4.15pm on Friday.
On Sunday, police named the boy who died in the accident as Myka, 6, from Wellington.
Five other people were also injured in the accident and the road was closed for several hours while the cause was investigated.
A police spokesman said his thoughts were with Myka’s family.
Myka’s death is the only one on New Zealand roads so far this year, although there have been several serious accidents.
For the official holiday period, which began at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and runs until 6 a.m. on January 5, Myka’s death marked the 10th on New Zealand roads so far for that period.
TOM LEE / THINGS
A man in his 20s lay trapped in his overturned vehicle for several hours on New Year’s Eve before a bystander stopped to help.
In other serious non-fatal crashes in 2021, an injured man spent six hours trapped in his overturned car after turning off a rural highway in north Waikato early on New Year’s Day.
A pedestrian was seriously injured in central Auckland after being hit by a car around 2am on New Years Day.
Another pedestrian suffered fatal injuries after an accident on State Highway 25 in Hikuai, Waikato, at 6:50 a.m. on New Years Day.
The police’s national road watch manager, Acting Superintendent Gini Welch, urged drivers to help prevent more deaths on the roads.
“You can do this by putting away your phone, making sure you drive alcohol, drug and fatigue free, wear a seat belt and drive in speed limit conditions,” Welch said.
Provisional figures from the Ministry of Transport showed that there were 320 deaths on New Zealand’s roads in 2020, 32 fewer than 352 in 2019.
