A blessing of the Shakespeare Rd crash site kaumatua Tiwana Aranui on the Sunday morning following the crash. Photo / Paul Taylor
A blessing of the Shakespeare Rd crash site kaumatua Tiwana Aranui on the Sunday morning following the crash. Photo / Paul Taylor
A father conducting a bedside vigil beside his unconscious son after a horror Hawke's Bay crash says the experience is "why we need to hold our kids tight".
Elijah Watene, 19, is sedated and seriously injured in a Wellington Hospital bed after the car he was a passenger in crashed in Napier on October 29.
Elijah was one of nine people in a car that flipped on Shakespeare Rd about 11.50pm that Saturday, injuring seven and killing Watene's girlfriend Harmony Tepou, 20. Police continue to investigate the crash.
Father Shaun Watene said Elijah, a rugby player, music lover, rapper and an "awesome big brother" had a long road ahead of him after the crash.
He has broken ribs, his spine was fractured and he has a head injury. He has already undergone spinal surgery and CT scans.
He remains sedated, with a ventilator breathing for him, and doctors each day allow him to wake, just a little, to see if he can follow simple instructions such as "squeeze my hand" and "wiggle your toes", his family said.
Elijah Watene, a rugby player, music lover, rapper, and an "awesome big brother" has a long road ahead of him after the crash. Photo / Supplied
That movement takes a lot out of him and he then needs to sleep again, but it's an achievement that Shaun says he celebrates every time.
Every day he updates Elijah's family and supporters every day via an open Facebook page. The messages of support he gets back he reads to his son.
"This is the hardest thing for me ever, to see my boy laid up and I can't make it better, to see my boy unconscious knowing I can't wake him up.
"This is why we need to hold our kids tight and tell them we love them every day."
Elijah may not be aware that his father has been at his bedside the whole time.
His grandmother is also there, and his mother and stepmum, friends and siblings have been to visit.
Back home in Waipawa his family have been wrapped around with support that his stepmum Jessica Manning says is "overwhelming".
"We have some awesome people in this country. Our employers - Silver Fern Farms and Vet Services Waipukurau - have been amazing. We are so grateful for the support as it helps Shaun to be in Wellington, with Elijah.
"Shaun's mum Desiree Watene is down with him too and has been since it happened. She is an amazing support person for her son and grandson."
Shaun will be in Wellington for months, or until Elijah can come home, Manning said.
"This is the longest our whanau have ever been apart.
"I will go down as often as I can to support him and be there for Elijah. We have two younger kids at home, which is where I get torn. They need me too."
It is also possible that Elijah is unaware that his girlfriend of four years didn't make it.
Harmony Tepou and Elijah met at Central Hawke's Bay College. She died at the scene of the crash.
Manning says her family "has never been one to ask for help", but the next few months of uncertainty mean they have agreed to some fundraisers.
A Givealittle page, which includes fellow crash victim and now-paralysed mother of three Autumn-Lily McGivern has also been set up.
Police last week appealed for any witnesses of a dark blue Honda CRV "driving erratically in the Napier CBD prior to the crash around 11.50pm on Saturday, or who has dashcam, or other footage of the vehicle".
They were particularly interested in any information about a vehicle driving at speed between Hitchins Ave, Onekawa, and the town centre of Napier about 11.45pm.
