Driver denies fatal crash charge
The Takaka woman accused of driving under the influence of drugs and causing the death of a 23-year-old in a New Year’s Eve crash, has pleaded not guilty.
Alicia Fulcher-Poole, 28, entered not guilty pleas on Wednesday in the Nelson District Court to six charges relating to the Appleby Highway crash in which Christchurch man Matthew Peter Dow, 23, was killed.
She has elected trial by jury and will appear in court again in May.
Fulcher-Poole is charged with causing the death of Dow while driving with blood containing evidence of the use of a controlled drug.
She also faces two charges of causing bodily injury to passengers in her vehicle while under the influence of drugs, driving with an insecure load, and a further two charges related to the neglect of children.
She is accused of ‘‘intentionally engaging in conduct which was likely to cause injury’’ to the two children in her vehicle.
It’s alleged Fulcher-Poole was the driver of a Nissan four-wheeldrive that collided with a Suzuki sedan driven by Dow on the Appleby Highway near Blackbyre Rd.
Dow died at the scene of the crash, which left debris strewn over the road, including children’s toys.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand senior station officer Craig Davies, of Nelson, described the scene as ‘‘horrendous’’.
‘‘There was at least 100m of debris, a lot of children’s gear, bikes, and bits and pieces,’’ he said.
Five people, including two children, were treated for minor to moderate injuries.