A bride's joy was cut short on her wedding day after her teenage son died as a result of fatal injuries sustained in a motorbike crash.
18-yr-old George Edward Cassidy Kitto from New Zealand was riding in Ohoka, North Canterbury on Saturday when he missed a bend in Threlkelds Rd and crashed into a barrier on his way home from his mother's wedding.
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Kitto was one of the two motorcyclists who died on the South Island road. The other victim was 39-yr-old rider Craig Alan Chambers died when a rental vehicle overtook oncoming traffic in North Otago about 5pm on Sunday.
The teen boy was on his way to pick up his car after his mother's wedding at about 5.30pm.
The newlywed Andrea Cassidy knew of her son's death about an hour later.
"I'm numb, sad, it's unbelievable," she said.
Kitto's best friend, 19-yr-old Wiremu Puha-Tirikatene was riding his own motorbike about 10 to 15 metres in front and saw his friend crash.
"I looked in my rear-vision mirror and saw it... I ran over to him to take his helmet, glasses, and bandanna off," he said.
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Puha-Tirikatene, who has been friends with Kitto since childhood said his friend "lived his life hard and fast, he lived on the edge".
"There was never a dull moment... he was one of the most genuine and outgoing guys I knew."