Rogue phone check causes teenager to crash

‘‘Don’t get all doomy and gloomy about it.’’ Judge Gerard Lynch

A teen driver was distracted by his cellphone when he rammed a car in front of him, pushing it into oncoming traffic and causing a head-on crash.

Michael Henry Sampson immediately told police how he had caused the crash, which put four people in hospital and shut State Highway 57.

The 17-year-old pleaded guilty in the Palmerston North District Court to four charges of careless driving causing injury, for which he was convicted. He was driving along the state highway near Shannon on January 28 when he saw a notification pop up on his cellphone. A line of traffic had stopped in front of him, but he failed to see it because he picked up his phone to flick through notifications.

By the time he saw the queue, slamming on the brakes, it was too late. He crashed into the back of a Mazda Demio containing three people. It rolled side-over-side into the opposite lane, where it was hit by a Nissan containing two people.

All five were taken to hospital, although only four people were injured. Three people required surgery for a range of injuries, including a broken vertebrae, a badly broken arm and a punctured lung. The road had to be closed while the police serious crash unit investigated. Sampson told police he was using his phone while driving.

Judge Gerard Lynch said Sampson would not be going to jail, but his sentence was dependent on how restorative justice conferences with the victims went. ‘‘Don’t get all doomy and gloomy about it.’’ Sampson will be sentenced in May.