Pregnant woman in fear
A family trip to find watercress had near fatal consequences for a driver whose vehicle drifted into oncoming traffic.
The crash left a pregnant mother fearing for her unborn baby’s life and hospitalised two others.
Shienne Kylie Featonby, 21, was sentenced in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday to four months’ community detention and ordered to pay the three victims a total of $100,000.
The crash happened shortly after 2.45pm on April 23 last year, on the intersection of No 1 Line and Karere Rd, west of Palmerston North.
Featonby was waiting at the intersection and thought she saw an oncoming car indicate left.
She drifted on to the road, however, the other vehicle – driven by Stacey Puklowski – continued straight and collided with hers at 100kmh.
Featonby was uninjured, but the force of the collision sent Puklowski’s car cannoning into the path of another oncoming vehicle.
Shania Lamb, a passenger in the third car, was three months pregnant at the time, and suffered a punctured lung, broken spine, collar bone and sternum.
The injuries were so severe her heartbeat stopped briefly in the hospital emergency room.
Her partner, Jaedyn Hapeta, was the driver. He suffered a smashed knee cap, fractured arm, abdominal bleeding and required 18 stitches.
The seat belt cut Puklowski open. She suffered internal compression injuries, including problems with her bowel and heart.
Lamb and Hapeta had hoped the judge would impose a greater disqualification period than six months.
‘‘We do think she should have got 12 months,’’ Lamb told Stuff.
‘‘It was pretty much like I had to start again with everything. I had to learn to walk again. I needed help showering, getting dressed, eating.’’
It took two scans to confirm her unborn daughter was still alive.
Throughout her recovery, she weaned herself off morphine and other prescribed pain killers so her unborn child wouldn’t be affected.
Her daughter, Ivy, was born five months after the crash. Now 9 months old, she has passed several medical tests and is in good health.
Featonby attended two restorative justice conferences, and was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety after the crash.
In a court affidavit, she said she suffered regular panic attacks.
‘‘It tore my heart apart to hear what I have done. I sometimes cry... when I think what I have done. I know I have done wrong, but I am trying to make it better.’’
In the affidavit she said one of the victims’ daughters, who she didn’t name, had messaged her on Facebook saying: ‘‘You should be in jail. My mum nearly died. Do you know how that felt watching her turn purple and thinking that was going to be the last time I was gonna see her? Oh, and what about my little brother and my cousin. They could’ve died. How can you walk around with a big grin on your face? Shouldn’t even be driving.’’
Seven people were injured in the crash, but Featonby was charged with three counts of careless driving causing injury.