Top model in horror crash

INTERNATIONAL model Charlbi Dean Kriek - who has graced the covers of Vogue and Tatler magazine - is recovering in a Cape Town hospital, following a near fatal car crash at the weekend.

Kriek, 18, was rescued from her boyfriend's car shortly before the vehicle went up in flames in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Her boyfriend, model Ashton Schnehage, told The Times from the Milnerton Medi-Clinic, where the model is in the ICU, that he struggled to get her out of the car after they had smashed into the back of a truck on Marine Drive.

Schnehage had to rip out the entire seat-belt mechanism to release his girlfriend.

Kriek - who has done racy shoots for fashion giants Gucci, United Colors of Benetton and Ralph Lauren - damaged two vertebrae, broke her wrist, four ribs and an elbow. She also suffered other internal injuries, including a collapsed left lung.

Schnehage, 25, broke his left shoulder blade. Four other passengers also suffered broken limbs.

But Schnehage said Kriek is in a jovial mood: "She is in pain, but is positive. I reckon we'll be back overseas soon."

Kriek and Schnehage had just returned to Cape Town from a modeling stint in Paris and London a month ago.

Kriek started her modeling career at 14, dropped high school for home schooling and then worked for the international Guess fashion label's campaign.

She was also the South African face of Gavin Rajah's couture collection, the first South African collection at Paris Fashion Week in 2006.

"I am deeply saddened by her accident. She brought an energy to the opening of that show and was part of the success of that first collection in Paris," said Rajah.

Her publicist, Andrew Farr, said: "It is so terrible, Her career is really taking off."

Kriek's booker, Penny Musgrave from Ice Models, described the young beauty as having "a flawless face". "She is exquisite - but none of it has gone to her head. She doesn't act like a supermodel at all."

Her father, Johan, told The Times that, luckily, she has no facial scars.

"It (the accident) won't interfere with her career. She has a scar on her stomach but we'll sort that out later. Right now, she wants to go to dinner with her parents," he said.

Farr has created a support group for Kriek on the social network Facebook, to update her friends from all around the world on her condition.