Some of the first people on the scene were Unanderra grandfather Robert Cockburn, Berkeley's Kane Williams and boxer Shannan Taylor.

They could see Mr Schroeder was alive, but disoriented and urged him to climb over Mr Nall's body to escape out the driver's side window.

As they did so, a man with a fire extinguisher attempted to quell the flames while two brothers, who wished to remain anonymous, smashed the windows.

When at last Mr Schroeder made it to the window, he was pulled to safety by Mr Cockburn and Mr Williams, who dragged him 50m away from the burning vehicle. An ambulance arrived soon after and rushed Mr Schroeder to Wollongong Hospital. He had burns to 30 per cent of his body, 10 per cent of which were full thickness, and later that night was airlifted to a specialist burns unit at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. The other three men had no chance.

By all accounts it was a gruesome scene that greeted the many police, ambulance and fire officers on duty that night. Witnesses, such as Phil Peckman who worked in a building near the accident, say they are haunted by what they saw.

Car parts littered the highway and a workman's helmet belonging to one of the victims lay on the footpath, perhaps the only thing to escape from the car intact.

Police cordoned off the road between Nolan St and Northcliffe Dr until about 5am, as they worked into the cold, dark night to examine the scene and gather evidence. As news of the tragedy spread, the victims' family and friends made frantic phone calls to find out if they had lost their brothers, boyfriends, mates and sons.

On Saturday morning, the Illawarra awoke to a bleak day. While the temperature soared to 30 degrees, emotions were low as the Nalls, Sinadinovics and Bannermans, and their extended communities, learnt the worst.

Mr Nall's parents Bob and Wendy, brother Brad, sister Amanda Stannard and her husband Chad gathered at a family home in Flinders to grieve. The Sinadinovics, including Aaron's nephews Jared and Jono Stankovski, sister Sandra Stankovski and fiancee Ms Manzini, also stuck together to grapple with their loss.

At the Dapto Hotel, where Mr Bannerman's father Iain is the publican, a makeshift memorial was set up on the bar with a schooner of beer and bunch of flowers dedicated, "In Memory of Roach, Sadly Missed".

Mr Bannerman's footy team, the Avondale Wombats, decided to go ahead with their semi-final match against the Woonona Shamrocks. They played in honour of their deceased friend and won 21-10.

The third grade team will today play in the grand final against the minor premiers Wollondilly.

Over the course of the weekend, tributes to the three men flourished online and at the scene of the accident.

"We watch as our loved ones suffer and as our close friends cry," said one heartfelt note at the scene, where the footpath was sprayed in red paint spelling out Roach's name.

While police have confirmed that speed played a factor in the accident, they have not ruled out a mechanical failure either.

Friends and family said it was uncharacteristic of Mr Nall to drive at such high speeds as they described his responsibility at work and generosity to friends.

A Sydney forensic team arrived at the Albion Park holding yard on Wednesday to inspect the wreck of the 2000 model HSV Clubsport R8, and the results will be used in a coronial investigation.

The crash investigation unit will also look at CCTV footage from the Unanderra Hotel to determine the four men's movements prior to the accident.

Amid the tears and dark clouds that hovered over the community, there was hope. Mr Schroeder has had three successful skin graft operations and is on the road to physical recovery. Doctors hope he will be able to leave hospital in a month.

And on Wednesday, at 8.23pm, Skye Leonard gave birth to a healthy baby boy, whom she named Rhoden Roach Bannerman.

"I feel like a little bit of my son is going to live on and it's brought my wife and I so much joy," proud grandfather Iain Bannerman said.

"He's a little shining light on an absolutely terrible week."

Mr Bannerman's funeral will be held on Tuesday and Mr Nall's later in the week at Mollymook Surf Life Saving Club.

And as Mr Sinadinovic is buried today at Kembla Grange cemetery, one must feel for the employees at Andreco-Hurll who will attend not one funeral, but three.