Two die in horror Pmb car smash

The aftermath of the accident in Pelham, Pietermaritzburg, on Friday, in which two men died and two were injured, one critically.

The aftermath of the accident in Pelham, Pietermaritzburg, on Friday, in which two men died and two were injured, one critically.

Published Jun 29, 2015

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Durban - The families of the young men involved in a horror accident that left two dead and one fighting for his life in hospital are struggling to cope with their grief.

What started as a night on the town for a group of friends turned into one of tragedy when the friends allegedly tried to flee from the police.

They crashed their car into a ground floor flat on the corner of Alexandra and College Roads in Pelham, Pietermaritzburg, early on Friday.

Those who died in the accident have been identified as 22-year-old Shaylen Pillay, and Shikaar Dhilraj, 25.

Dhilraj’s brother, 22-year-old Dhiren Dhilraj, suffered severe head and neck injuries in the crash and was airlifted to Chief Albert Luthuli Hospital on Friday afternoon due to the extent of his injuries.

His distraught relative, who requested that her name not be published, said the family was grieving for one brother, and praying the other survives.

“At this point we are all shattered and don’t know how to cope. We know we have to be strong for Dhiren, but at the same time we are broken with grief for Shikaar. God help us,” the emotional relative said, adding that the brothers shared an “incredible bond”.

“They were more than brothers, they were best friends. How could this have happened?” she said.

A fourth passenger in the car, Elroy Smith, suffered minor injuries and was discharged from hospital.

Pillay’s girlfriend, a devastated Alecia Ally, described the 22-year-old as the “love of her life”.

“Words can’t express how much this hurts. I love you and I always will. Life won’t go on without you by my side. You are not just my boyfriend, but you are my partner in crime, my best friend , my everything. My heart shall always stay true to you. I promised to be there with you forever and that promise shall not be broken,” Ally said in a Facebook post.

There has been an outpouring of grief on social media, with friends of Pillay and the Dhilraj brothers expressing their sorrow and shock on their Facebook profile pages.

Police spokesman Mthokozisi Ngobese confirmed that the crash occurred after a high speed chase.

He said police patrolling the area suspected the navy blue BMW motor vehicle of suspicious activity and ordered the driver to pull over. It is alleged that the car matched a description of a vehicle involved in a robbery a week ago.

It is alleged that as policemen got out of their vehicle to approach the driver, the vehicle then sped away, and had attempted to turn into College Road, opposite the Pietermaritzburg Girl’s High school, but due to its speed, could not negotiate the bend and crashed into the ground floor flat at Parkside Mansions.

The distraught family that lives in the flat were unharmed in the crash, but have had to deal with the tragedy’s aftermath.

The vehicle destroyed the front veranda and part of the lounge of the house. On Sunday the family was still seen sorting through the rubble that was once their garden.

They did not want to comment on the incident.

Daily News

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