Monterey crash: Father of two boys killed in collision constantly remembers their deaths in Sydney’s south
The father of two young boys killed in a horrific crash says he can’t escape the painful memory of what happened just steps from his front door.
Xavier Abreu, 10, and his brother Peter, nine, died when the Subaru WRX they were in crashed into a tree during Grand Parade in Monterey, south of Sydney, last Friday.
The accident happened after a car driven by the boys’ maternal cousin, Jimmy Britto, allegedly crossed the road, overturning and crashing into a tree a short distance from where Sam Abreu and his partner Jivonne Garrido.
“He passed by our house. I have to live with that. I have to walk past this site and keep the memory of my children who were killed there,” Mr Abreu said. The Daily Telegraph.
Xavier Abreu, 10 (left) and his brother Peter, nine, died when the Subaru WRX they were in crashed into a tree during Grand Parade in Monterey, south Sydney, on Friday night
Mr Abreu said he had just arranged a vacant bedroom for the boys, who normally lived with their mother Olivia Aliferis, to spend the weekend there.
“They loved Legos,” Mr Abreu said of the boys he called his “cheeky monkeys”.
“Peter had a box full of his favorite toys. There are Legos in there that I have to build. I’ll put him in his coffin.
Mrs Garrido has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral, which by Sunday afternoon raised about half of its $25,000 goal.
The page says the local community as well as friends and family havehow much heart they have with heartfelt messages and flowers on the site.
“We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” the page read.
Ms Garrido said she was making coffee when she saw three police cars go by with all the lights and sirens blaring, then she saw two ambulances doing the same, but she didn’t know the boys were at edge.
Mr. Abreu and Mrs. Garrido also do not know why they were in the car with Mr. Britto and another young girl, who escaped with minor injuries.
The car hit the tree with such force it left only a crumpled wreck, with the engine thrown several meters from the impact along a stretch of road notorious for drag racing .
Mr Britto, 33, was charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of bodily harm by misconduct.
Although he received support from Aliferis, who was herself released on bail on August 21 after five months in prison, Mr Abreu and Ms Garrido say they do not feel the same way.
‘The damage is done. I don’t understand. It makes no sense,” Mr. Abreu said.
He said his boys love cars and going for rides with their cousin.
Bayside Councilor Heidi Lee Douglas campaigned for the New South Wales government to install speed cameras on the Grand Parade to discourage drag racing and drag racing.
The impact catapulted the engine out of the twisted chassis and sent shards of windshield glass flying into nearby gardens.
“We tried to avoid this, I don’t want any more deaths,” she said.
“Even a few days after the accident, there was an increase in hooling in the area. I live here, I could hear it. It was almost like putting salt in the wound.
Since 2018, there have been eight crashes involving speeding with one seriously injured person, according to Transport for NSW, before the crash that claimed the boys’ lives.
