Left: The scene of the fatal car crash on BeaconsfieldEmerald Road at Guys Hill early last Thursday morning, in which Richie Parker was killed.By Paul Dunlop
TWO young men were killed and two others seriously injured during a horror week on local roads.
Richie Parker, 19, of Berwick and Nicholas Gregorovich, 18, from Lang Lang died in separate car crashes.
Mr Parker was killed when the car he was driving lost control and hit a tree at Guys Hill about 5.30am on Thursday.
Two male passengers in the car were airlifted to hospital in Melbourne after the crash on BeaconsfieldEmerald Road.
One remains in a critical condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the other is in a stable condition at The Alfred.
Mr Gregorovich died following a crash at Pearcedale about 6am on Monday.
Both of the deceased were well known in the area and large gatherings are expected at funeral services on Friday.
Family and friends are mourning the loss of two young men, who were said to have still so much to give.
Mr Parker’s father, Murray, described his son as a “gentle giant” who would not hurt a fly.
“Everybody loved Richie,” he said.
A chef at Berwick restaurant Jason’s Terrace, Richie Parker had also worked at Pakenham and attended schools at St Michael’s, Berwick, and St Francis Xavier, Beaconsfield.
Friends said Richie loved life and was always laughing, always there when needed.
“It’s hard to believe he’s not around. It’s having a very big impact on a lot of people,” Murray said.
Mr Gregorovich’s uncle Pieter said his nephew was well known around Lang Lang, where he lived with his grandparents, and Nyora, where he played football.
He said Nicholas was on his way to Hastings where he works for an earthmoving firm when the accident occurred.
“He’d recently got the job and was really kicking on well,” Pieter said.
“Nicholas was really well liked by his boss and they had big plans for him. He was a great young guy who was well on his way.”
Police said Mr Gregorovich had crashed into a tree on TyabbTooradin Road and was standing next to his car when another vehicle collided with the car and also struck him.
Two other cars were involved in a collision with the wreckage.
One of these cars then collided with a car coming the other way.
Police said the circumstances of both crashes remained under investigation.
It was also a traumatic week for emergency service workers, who remained at both crash scenes for several hours.
Rescue workers at Guys Hill said the car was almost snapped in half from the impact of the collision.
