I spoke to my son four minutes before he died in car crash, says heartbroken mother

A Rayton family is mourning their 23-year-old son who was killed in a car accident last Friday.

Jacques van Zyl was killed when his car veered off the road and hit a tree on South Street in Rayton, Pretoria, around 10:40pm.

Speaking to Rekord on Tuesday, Jacques’s mother Corrie said the family was still in shock.

“The family is grieving. We lost a brother, a son, a friend, and a grandson. I have accepted but Jacques’s little brother is finding it very hard to cope. His brother’s death hit him very hard.”

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Corrie said that she had spoken to Jacques four minutes before the accident happened.

Jacques van Zyl was killed when his car veered off the road and hit a tree on South Street in Rayton. Picture: Supplied

“He spoke to me just before he left the house. He said he was sleeping over at a friend’s house that night and I remember his last words were ‘I love you’. Four minutes later, I heard a loud bang and then people were screaming outside,” she said.

“We went to the scene and found that he had lost control of the car. Medics informed us that he died upon impact.”

Van Zyl said messages of support have been pouring in for the family.

“It has been a tough few days, but I have to say the community has supported us, bringing food and showing us love, we very much appreciate that.”

The family said Jacques was very popular in the community and had touched many lives in his short life. Following his untimely death, many took to social media to pay their tribute.

Earlier, Emer-G-Med emergency service said that Jacques was found entrapped in his car following the accident.

“It is believed he hit a tree before ending against a nearby wall. He was declared dead on the scene,” Emer-G-Med said.

This article was republished from Rekord East with permission 

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