Man charged after fatal crash
A man has been accused of causing a crash in which a car slammed into a concrete wall, claiming one person’s life and leaving two others injured.
Yesterday, Charles Te Popoki Ngamotu appeared in the New Plymouth District Court, where he faces one charge of dangerous driving causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing injury.
The 31-year-old has yet to enter pleas to the three charges.
The allegations relate to an August 29 crash at the intersection of Nobs Line and Devon St East in New Plymouth at 1.30am.
Ngamotu was the alleged driver of the car, which had three other passengers. One of those was Casey Wilson-Atutahi, 22, who died later that same day in Taranaki Base Hospital as a result of his injuries.
Two other passengers were seriously injured.
Police, fire and ambulance officers were at the scene for about an hour.
Fire crews had to cut the doors of the car, which had hit a concrete wall outside a house, in order to free the trapped occupants.
Ngamotu was placed on bail conditions by the court registrar, which include a ban on drinking alcohol or using illicit drugs and not to drive. He will reappear in court on January 31.
The dangerous driving causing death charge carries a maximum jail term of 10 years or a maximum fine of $20,000.