The much loved teenager was killed when a car, driven by her brother, hit a tree in Port Kembla early on Monday. 

The 15-year-old from Port Kembla was the front-seat passenger in the Holden Commodore that crashed on a sweeping right-hand bend on Flinders Street about 12.45am.

Georja’s brother, 19-year-old James Balfour, sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident and was airlifted to St George Hospital in Sydney, where he remained in a critical but stable condition late on Monday.

A 17-year-old boy from Primbee, who was sitting in the back seat, was taken to Wollongong Hospital in a serious condition.

All three were extricated from the vehicle by a rescue crew from Wollongong Fire Station with fire crews from Wollongong and Warrawong on hand in case a fire started.

As the reality of Georja’s death began to sink in late on Monday afternoon, friends gathered beside floral tributes at the base of the damaged tree to remember a young life lost.

Among them was Christinea Wilson, who first met Georja at a touch football gala day.

The 15-year-old said they had grown closer since, to the point where the year 10 Lake Illawarra High School students were ‘‘basically inseparable’’.

 She remembered her friend as a girl who loved ‘‘anything Nike’’.

‘‘She was just a very enjoyable person to be around. She would do the most random things just to make you laugh,’’ she said. ‘‘Everyone at school was shattered.’’

Christinea described Georja and her brother as ‘‘heaps close’’, adding she had heard from her about an hour before the crash. ‘‘She was going to get a kebab,’’ she said.

Another friend, Sharna Walker, spoke of Georja’s sense of humour and caring nature. 

‘‘All the teachers loved her; she was that kind of student ... she was just so loveable,’’ the 19-year-old said.

‘‘She just had a smile on her face no matter what mood she was in.’’

Initial police investigations suggest speed may have been a factor in the crash. Investigators are yet to speak with Mr Balfour.

NSW Ambulance Illawarra district officer Inspector Terry Morrow said the back-seat passenger had to be removed in order to gain access to Mr Balfour.

‘‘It took approximately 30 to 40 minutes for us to get him [the driver] out, he was significantly trapped from the tree that had come in through the driver’s side door and trapped him between the door, tree and the centre console of the car,’’ Inspector Morrow said. 

Mr Balfour was in a critical condition with head, chest and pelvic injuries, when pulled from the car.

A doctor and intensive care paramedic from the NSW Ambulance Rescue 26 helicopter were called to assist and he was airlifted to Sydney from Noel Mulligan Oval at Warrawong.