Fatal accident caused by meth

A man who crossed the centre line while high on methamphetamine, killing another driver, has admitted causing her death.

Jonathon Ellis, 26, was driving towards Motueka on the Coastal Highway in May when he over corrected and veered into the path of 22-year-old Zoe Bishop’s car.

Bishop was travelling in the opposite direction, towards Nelson to pick up her twin sister from the airport for a family wedding when the crash occurred. She died at the scene.

Ellis admitted to police after the accident he had used methamphet- amine before driving.

When asked how it would have affected his driving he said, ‘‘I’ve crashed a car and killed a lady, haven’t I?’’.

In the Nelson District Court on Monday, Ellis admitted being in charge of a vehicle which caused Bishop’s death.

Bishop was described by her friends as ‘‘a bright sparkling light’’ who ‘‘managed to see the good in everyone’’.

A police summary of facts said at 11.45am on Saturday May 27, Bishop was driving towards Nelson from Motueka.

Ellis was travelling in the opposite direction towards Motueka. Other road users witnessed extreme damage on the front and left hand side.

Bishop died at the scene and Ellis had minor injuries.

An investigation found that the crash occurred because Ellis failed to remain in his lane.

It also found there was no evidence to indicate any culpability on Bishop’s behalf. Her vehicle was positioned on the trajectory of Ellis’s out-of-control vehicle.

No pre-existing faults were found with either vehicle and it was not likely that a mechanical fault caused Ellis to lose control.

Inspection of the highway found no indication there was any object or substance that contributed to Ellis crashing.

Despite the crash occurring on a curve, the investigation found Ellis did not lose control due to excessive speed.

A blood sample taken from Ellis after the accident showed the presence of methamphetamine and cannabis.

It found that Ellis’s actions in the lead up to the impact were typical of those displayed by an impaired driver.

Ellis will be sentenced in the Nelson District Court on December 21. Breast cancer patients in Nelson will be the first in the country to trial technology that prevents hair loss during chemotherapy.

Nelson Marlborough Health consultant oncologist Dr Kate Gregory said as part of a pilot programme, patients would have the opportunity to wear a scalp cooling cap that minimised hair loss by restricting the amount of chemotherapy that reached the hair follicles.

Experience using similar technology in the UK and talking to patients about the distress caused by hair loss led Gregory to apply to the Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand for funding to trial the scalp cooling technology.

‘‘When I talk to patients in clinic about chemotherapy it is the one side effect that I can guarantee patients will tear up, or even burst into tears about, so it is a huge issue for people.’’

The pilot will run for six months at Nelson Hospital where Gregory said breast cancer patients having chemotherapy would be offered the opportunity to participate.

The technology worked by cooling the scalp to constrict the blood vessels, limiting the amount of chemotherapy that reached the hair follicles.

Gregory estimated she would see four to five new patients each week from across the region who needed chemotherapy for breast cancer which was ‘‘quite significant’’.

While there was no guarantee it would work for everyone, Gregory said around 50 per cent of patients retained their hair, depending on the chemotherapy regimen used.

The Breast Cancer Foundation NZ paid $67,500 to purchase the scalp cooling machine and funded a specialist nurse to operate it for six months.

The results of the pilot would determine the number of women who kept more than half of their hair and didn’t require a wig. It would also establish how much additional clinic time was needed for the process and how patients tolerated it.

‘‘It is exciting to be able to offer this to patients in Nelson and I amhopeful it may make an impact for women all over New Zealand,’’ Gregory said.

The pilot would begin when the new equipment arrived in the coming weeks.

Breast cancer survivor Christine Gabrielle said the technology would make a huge difference for those having chemotherapy.

For Gabrielle, losing her hair brought the reality of having cancer to light.

She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in her left breast in June 2014. She had mastectomy surgery in July then began chemotherapy in August.

Pre-empting her hair loss, Gabrielle decided to have her hair shaved off after her first chemotherapy treatment. Two days before the appointment it began to fall out in clumps.

She had always had a full head of curly hair that was a big part of her identity and losing it was the first ‘‘outward visible sign’’ of cancer. She said there was no hiding from the visual impact, which she was confronted with when she looked in the mirror each day.

‘‘Prior to the hair loss I knew I had cancer but it was a private issue, the hair loss makes it physical, makes it visible and it makes it very real, something that you can’t fix quickly.’’

It was eight months before her hair grew back enough for her to stop wearing wigs. Gabrielle said it would be wonderful if breast cancer patients didn’t have to worry about losing their hair.

‘‘If you can prevent that for someone, it makes the whole thing a little bit more palatable. It helps you to keep that positive attitude which is so important when you have something like cancer.’’

Breast Cancer Foundation NZ chief executive Evangelia Henderson said breast cancer was a ‘‘heartless disease’’ that affected thousands of people each year. It was thanks to the generosity of donors that the pilot at Nelson Hospital was possible.

‘‘If we can help minimise patients’ hair loss by providing this machine, we’ll have gone some way toward reducing their distress and improving their quality of life.’’