EXCLUSIVE
Model Savana Calvo became ‘unrecognisable’ after she suffered serious injuries in a horror car crash months before she was found dead in a Sydney brewery’s toilet.
Calvo, 27, was a passenger in a car being driven by her ex-boyfriend, record shop owner Lorenz Prichard, when another vehicle ran a red light and smashed into it.
The other car T-boned into the couple’s SUV, sending it out of control before it mounted a kerb and ploughing into the corner of a brick wall in February last year.
Savana suffered ‘major injuries’, as did her boyfriend and a pedestrian, Mr Prichard said in an Instagram post at the time.
Pictures revealed the twisted wreckage from the smash, which Mr Prichard said was an urgent wake up call for him to cherish every moment.
‘Life is precious and fleeting. Everything could be gone in a second, so don’t waste your time or energy,’ he said at the time.
‘Tell your fam you love them! Live life to the fullest, be safe and kind to each other. Don’t take anything for granted.’
But in the wake of the accident, friends told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Calvo, 27, ended up walking with a cane, visibly gained weight and stopped posting pictures of herself on social media.
Savana Calvo was a much loved member of the community in Sydney’s inner-west
The car which Savana Calvo was a passenger in careered into the corner of a brick wall
Another vehicle had sent it out of control after T-boning it at a junction, said Mr Prichard
‘I saw her after the crash and she looked really different,’ says a friend. ‘I think she had a spinal cord injury hence the weight gain.’
Ms Calvo, 27, was found dead about 11.30pm last Wednesday at Young Henrys brewery in Newtown, more than four hours after the pub is understood to have closed.
Police say her death is not being treated as suspicious, but an investigation is continuing into the circumstances leading up to it.
Savana’s shattered family are now on a desperate mission for answers on what happened to their girl on that tragic night.
Savana had seemingly disappeared from social media since the crash
Ms Calvo’s parents Daniel and Tatjana told Daily Mail Australia the family had been ‘crushed’ by the tragedy and were struggling to make sense of why their ‘beautiful girl’ took her own life.
‘There were signs. She had a lot of things going on behind the scenes. But it’s too early to say what exactly led to her death,’ Mr Calvo said.
‘(The police investigation) is getting far-reaching now, but I can’t talk any more about it at this stage.
‘But I do think that Savana’s at peace now.’
Close family friend Adam St John-Foti has set up a GoFundMe page to help ease the family’s financial worries as they come to terms with what’s happened to their beloved Savana.
Savana’s brother James, dad Daniel and family friend St John-Foti gave a loving tribute to Daily Mail Australia
So far, more than $30,000 has been raised to go towards funeral costs and to allow the family to grieve without worrying about returning to work.
‘Savana was an inner-west legend, a wise old soul and very much loved,’ Mr St John-Foti said.
‘She helped everyone and there is a lot of celebrate about her life.’
Funeral arrangements are yet to be made.
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Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk