Katrina Sila dies in a cement truck accident with two children on Hume Highway, Menangle Park, Sydney
The best friend and “sister” of a young mother who died with her two children in a horrific car accident says the grieving husband has now been hit with huge funeral costs.
Katrina Sila, 34, and her two-year-old son, Kai Prahastono, were killed instantly when their silver van collided with a cement truck across the Hume Highway in Menangle Park, south-west Sydney, around 11: 20 a.m. on Monday.
Three-month-old Ivy was pulled from the rubble in critical condition and airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Westmead.
He died early Wednesday morning.
The children’s father, Ian (Ilham) Prahastono, has spent the past two days nurturing his baby’s life at his hospital bedside.
In the hours after the baby’s death, Ms Sila’s ‘sister’ Diana Effendi called on members of the community to help raise money for Mr. Prahastono, who now has to pay for three burials.
“We are calling on all of our friends, family and the community at large to raise money to cover burial costs after the tragic passing of…Katrina and her two beautiful (children),” Ms. Effendi wrote in the GoFundMe page.
Katrina Sila (right) died in a terror highway crash on Monday. Her best friend (left) described the huge funeral costs left behind for the family
Katrina Sila, 34, pictured with her husband, son Kai Prahastono and baby daughter Ivy, who lost their fight for life on Wednesday.
‘This beautiful family resides in South West Sydney and have loved everything about this area, dreamed of raising their children here and called this community their forever home.
“Your prayers and any amount you can donate during this difficult time will go a long way in easing the burden on Ilham and his family.”
Earlier on Wednesday it was revealed that Mr. Prahastono was at work at the time and his Apple Watch reportedly alerted him to the accident on Monday morning, Seven News reported.
An Apple Watch feature detects when a serious car accident occurs and can help connect to emergency services and notify emergency contacts.
Daily Mail Australia understands that both the grieving husband and his wife worked in finance.
Police said Sila was on her way to the family’s home in Denham Court, in south-west Sydney, when the tragedy struck.
It is believed that he attempted to make a U-turn from an emergency bay on the Hume Highway when he crashed into the truck.
The 48-year-old truck driver was not injured and has since undergone mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
Katrina Sila (left) and her friend Diana Effendi (right) are pictured together when they were both pregnant with their children.
Ian Prahastono (pictured with his wife Katrina) is grieving the loss of his wife and two children. His Apple Watch reportedly alerted him to the accident while he was at work on Monday.
The police are investigating how the accident occurred and will prepare a report for the coroner.
The investigators urged anyone with dashcam vision in the area or anyone with more information to come forward.
The force of the collision catapulted the engine of the mother-of-two’s SUV 100 meters down the road, witnesses said, with a picture showing it lying on the side of the road.
NSW Ambulance Superintendent Mark Gibbs said paramedics were faced with challenging and confrontational scenes.
“It’s hard to think that anyone survived the wreckage, such a tragic and high-speed incident,” he said.
He also believed that the baby pod Ivy had been strapped into had likely saved her life initially.
“It shows how child restraints work in such tragic circumstances,” said Superintendent Gibbs.
Pictured: Emergency services worked to remove the trapped baby from the car.
The force of the collision catapulted the truck’s engine 100 meters up the road.
A family photo posted online in January shows Ms Sila and her husband smiling as they cradled their son and newborn daughter in their arms.
“We are heartbroken to announce the sad passing of Katrina Sila and her son Kai… a loving daughter, mother, devoted wife, sister and friend to many,” a statement from the family said.
The family asked that Mr. Prahastono remain in everyone’s thoughts as he navigates “such a huge personal tragedy.”
Islamic prayer groups on Facebook posted a post on Tuesday announcing that Ms Sila, a Thai Muslim, and her son had died in the accident and asked followers to pray for baby Ivy.
The latest tragedy comes just days after a father and his two children were killed when their ute crashed into a tree at Coutts Crossing, south of Grafton in northern New South Wales, on Saturday.
Lance Danks-Brown, 43, his son Kayden, 14, and daughter Sharna, 11, died at the scene.