Javarney Wayne Drummond (15) was one of five teenagers killed in Saturday night’s horror high-speed crash outside Timaru.
The teen died alongside local boys Niko William Hill (15), Jack Wallace (16), Joseff McCarthy (16) and Andrew Goodger (15) when the Nissan Bluebird they were travelling in smashed into a concrete power pole.
The impact was so severe it sliced the car in half.
Only the driver, Tyreese Fleming (19), who had a restricted licence, survived the smash.
Now, the boys’ families and friends are struggling to come to terms with the fatal crash while planning funerals and memorial events.
Javarney’s father, Stephen Drummond (48) said he would bury his only son on Friday afternoon.
"I can’t paint a car for him so I’ll paint his coffin," he said.
"It’s heart-wrenching.
"A huge piece of my life has gone, just for a stupid accident, something that was obviously a game for the kids, or to the driver, and it’s over."
Mr Drummond said the fatal crash was even more painful because the families of the boys were all "pretty close".
"It’s gutting ... It just goes round and round and round.
"My heart go out to the families. I’m gutted for them as much as I am for my own family.
"To lose five kids, and they’re all mates, is huge ... We had one of their mates turn up last night and he was devastated — he thought he lost one friend, not five friends. He burst into tears."
Mr Drummond had to go to the hospital to identify his child.
"When I identified him I just wished it wasn’t my boy," he said.
"Timaru’s too small. Everybody knows everybody. I feel really gutted for everyone involved.
"The next few months is going to be really, really hard work.
"I’ve got family and friends and everything else but, at the end of the day, it doesn’t bring your boy back. And I’m not the only one in that boat."
Father of two Mr Drummond had visited the scene and seen the power pole the car hit. "They had no hope," he said.
"I’m a panelbeater by trade and I’ve seen some freak accidents but this is just as good as what I’ve seen ... and it’s just really, really sad to see your own son in it.
"There are no words to describe really just how sad it is."
Javarney was a happy, social boy, who had enjoyed playing soccer and rugby.
His father said he was a "quiet kid ... a cruisy cool kid" with a close group of friends.
"Fourteen or 15 of his friends come and go from here [the family home] and the four who died are quite close friends; they come and go from here all the time," Mr Drummond said.
"It’s like losing four family members.
"No parent should have to bury their kid," he said.
"What’s happened with five families in Timaru is really, really disgusting. I haven’t got answers for it."
Mr Drummond would not comment on his feelings about the driver or what might happen to him.
"That’s not for me to say right now," he said.
The police investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Aoraki area commander Inspector Dave Gaskin said it was too early to say if the driver would be charged.
"We won’t be speaking to the driver until we have got a little bit more information.
"Obviously, the investigation is very early days at the moment, and it would be better to speak to him when we have as much information as possible," he said.
The driver is in a stable condition in Timaru Hospital.
On Sunday, he posted a photo and message to social media site Snapchat apologising to the families of the dead boys.
His family have not responded to requests for comment.
