Unlicensed, underage driver crashed our house

I used to have a warm and safe house for my two kids of 10 and 14, and my 70-year old mother to live in. But since 29 October last year, I, a single mother in my mid-forties, cannot provide them a normal home. For 6 months, we have had no gas for cooking, we have no hot water for showering, and we do not feel safe at home; the only thing protecting us from the damaged walls is thin, plastic tarp. All because a 17 year-old unlicensed young man crashed a vehicle through our fence into our ground floor bedroom, damaging the house, the supporting structure, the gas, the hot water, our internet fibre… We are extremely lucky that no one was hurt. But without insurance payment or compensation from the driver we are unable to get the funds to repair the house and live normally.

Since the accident, the driver and his family ignored our attempts to reach out and negotiate, we did not hear from them until a meeting arranged by Oranga Tamariki. However, they said there is no insurance covering the vehicle and they cannot afford to pay.

I have a mortgage to pay and I cannot afford the quoted amount of $165,500 to fix the damage.

I’ve also had a huge loss in rent. Without hot water and gas, I can’t rent out my suites. Due to this, my family and I have spent the past 6 months under immense financial, physical and emotional strain.

The cold months of winter are coming so we need to repair the house now. We need your kind support.

Please fund us so we can live our normal lives again.