Teen driver skids off cliff
BY JEFF TOLLAN
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Police say a young woman's driving could have seriously hurt people after a vehicle went over an eight-metre bank at Patiti Point.
Four people were in the car when the 19-year-old Timaru woman allegedly pulled on the handbrake to make the vehicle, her mother's, skid.
The young woman lost control and the 1994 Honda rolled over the steep bank as the group was leaving the Patiti Point carpark about 5.20pm.
The car landed on its roof on the shingle beach, burying part of the front passenger's side.
All four suffered only minor injuries and lacerations.
Sergeant Ian Howard said charges were likely over the incident.
Carlin Chapman, 17, was the only occupant not to be taken to hospital. "I think we were all just being a bit silly. We were heading down there and then started to skid and went off the cliff."
He said the car bounced down the bank. "I just got a bit of a graze on my arm, it could have been a lot worse though," Carlin said.
The driver and other passengers were taken to nearby Timaru Hospital. The driver received a cut to her hand and was complaining of back pain, while the 17-year-old female front-seat passenger had a lacerated finger and stomach pains. The 19-year-old male back-seat passenger underwent x-rays for back injuries.
Sergeant Howard said it was amazing nobody was seriously hurt, especially with the front passenger's side being stoved in by the impact. "It highlights the dangers of young kids and cars and being a bit silly."
The wreckage was cleared from the beach before the incoming tide began to wash over it.
Tests showed the driver had not been drinking.
- © Fairfax NZ News
