Hororata crash: How a Christchurch family’s outing to see snow ended in tragedy

From left, Ian Dulay, 17, and Khatricia Dulay, 19, were killed in a crash near Rakaia on Saturday.

A Christchurch father recently reunited with his children had planned the perfect winter’s day.

Ghomer Dulay cleaned his car in the winter sun before he took his three kids on a road trip to see the fresh snowfall on Mt Hutt for the first time.

”We were happy,” Dulay said.

The family’s morning had been full of “laughing and joking” and cooking together, enjoying each other’s company after eight years living apart.

Dulay and his partner moved to Christchurch in 2015 and his children had only arrived here from Philippines in May.

“They wanted to see the snow. It’s their first time here and I wanted to because they’re happy, I want to make them happy.”

Just over an hour after they left home Ghomer Dulay was driving along Rakaia Terrace Rd, Hororata when he saw what he thought was a rabbit running across the road.

“That’s why I tried to brake and now sliding the car and zig-zag,” he said.

“I lost control.”

The car crashed. He blacked out, his next memory was waking up at the crash scene.

“My kids, my partner were yelling and crying. Me also.”

His car was “totally damaged” and he called 111 at 2.46pm. He told the operator “I need help because the car crashed”.

A passerby arrived shortly after at the scene and helped him speak to emergency services.

He then pulled out his partner and eldest child from the wreckage. He was unable to get his other two children out.

From left, Khatricia Dulay and her aunt Jinena Tats-Quin Abellera.

Dulay said he was crying unsure what to do.

It was not until later in the evening that police informed him that two of his children - Khatricia Dulay, 19, and Ian Dulay, 17, were dead.

His oldest child was critically injured as was his partner.

“It’s so sad when I got that news, I was crying,” he said.

“I have two kids gone.”

On Sunday he said he had a sore head and face but was physically “OK”. Dulay is staying at the hospital to be at his partner and daughter’s sides.

He said he wanted to tell his children he was “sorry” for what happened.

“I don’t want this to happen … they’re my blood,” he said.

His son was studying at the time. His daughters and his partner are all caregivers.

“Their dreams are nothing now, and also my dreams to give them a big future here.

“It’s gone.

“I want them to be happy, that’s why all their life I just follow them. Pa, let’s go there, I want to see the snow, Pa let’s go there, I want to visit this.”

His focus was to bring his children back to the Philippines to see their mother.

The children’s aunt, Jinena Tats-Quin Abellera, told the Herald the family was “devastated”.

She said Dulay called one of his siblings to inform them of the crash, and the rest of the family was then told.

Her sister, the children’s mother, was being supported by relatives.

“She’s just worried, she’s crying. She’s having a hard time accepting what’s happened.

“We’re just all upset.”

Another relative told the Herald the children’s mother was “in shock”.

“She can’t accept it, she wants to see her children.”

A Givealittle page has been made for the Dulay family.

The page was created by Petronila Tangal, who was a neighbour of Dulay’s partner in the Philippines and now lives in Christchurch.

She said the children were “very excited” to be living in New Zealand and spending time with their father. She had visited Dulay in the hospital and said he was “crying a lot”.

The Givealittle page was created to help the family financially and to help Dulay get his children home to the Philippines.

‘One of the worst’

Hororata Chief Fire Officer Bruce Sayer attended the crash. He said the stretch of road where the crash occurred went from a tar road to a shingle road. The brigade had attended about nine crashes at the same spot, Saturday’s was the first fatal.

The road was mainly used by dairy workers and farmers, he said.

“It’s probably one of the worst I think our brigade has attended.

“We’ve had fatals before, but a double fatal is way out of the norm for us in a little town like this.”

He said it appeared the car had lost control and hit a tree.

“It wasn’t a pleasant scene.

“The force of the vehicle striking the tree had sort of strewn debris from the vehicle across quite a large area and the vehicle was sort of still in an upside down position.”

Sayer said no matter how many crashes firefighters attended it still impacted those that responded.

“But I think from the brigade point of view everyone realises that if we weren’t there no one would be, the waiting time would be a long time before someone came.

“So it’s sort of bittersweet I suppose because at least you’re there when people need you the most and that’s obviously in a situation like that I think it was nice having people arrive really quickly for the driver and for the patients as well.”

He said Fire and Emergency New Zealand had great “wraparound support”, to go alongside the support from within the brigade.

Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022, and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.