A man lost three generations of his family after they were involved in a horror crash on their way home from a funeral.
Pedro Clariman, 26, awoke to find his seven beloved relatives dead after a head-on collision in Picton, New Zealand at around 7.30am on Sunday morning.
Seven family members died when their van smashed into a semi-trailer during an overnight journey after attending a funeral on the other side of the island.
Pedro's brother David said: "(My brother Pedro) saw my dad's body on the road and then my brother Luie, he was awake and then he collapsed - It's just shocking."
Pedro and another brother survived while his partner, 10-month-old daughter, mum, brother, aunt, stepdad and cousin all died in the collision.
After hearing the news that both his child and partner were among the fatalities, he was left crushed, David said.
"He was devastated, he was crying a lot. Both of his loves are gone", he said.
The other surviving brother Luie Lagud was left in a coma and in critical condition and had to undergo gruelling surgery for spine and head injuries.
David escaped death by opting not to attend the funeral because he suffers with motion sickness and was booked in for a shift where he works at a supermarket near his home.
Speaking with the New Zealand Herald, David said: "It's just shocking, to happen that fast.
"In a blink of an eye, it's all gone."
In the days since the tragedy, David said he has spoken with his brother - who was miraculously left with only minor injuries after a crash that left their van crumpled and destroyed.
Pedro was in the driver's seat when the family left the funeral in Christchurch, but switched with stepdad Paul after four hours.
Pedro played with his baby Mika before drifting off for a snooze himself, but later awoke to horrific scenes.
David said: "(Pedro) saw my dad's body on the road and then my brother Luie, he was awake and then he collapsed.
"Then the next minute, the helicopter was there, taking my little brother to the hospital."
David said the family seemed "so happy" and had created "good memories" in the days leading up to the tragedy.
