Teenager’s brain injury not detected after crash
An Auckland teenager is in a serious condition after the brain injury he suffered in a car crash was mistaken for drunkenness.
According to his family, Quejay Hoare, 18, was out for drinks for a friend’s birthday, when the car he was a passenger in was involved in a crash on July 14.
The crash allegedly caused him whiplash and a head injury.
Hoare’s great aunt, Freda Reti, said police attended the scene but no ambulance was called and Hoare left with his friends.
‘‘I think [police] thought that he was probably just intoxicated, so [his friends] sent him home in an Uber,’’ Reti said.
‘‘Then when he got to his destination where his car was, he just climbed in the back and sat there, and must have dozed off.’’
When he was found five hours later by friends on their return home, Hoare was unresponsive and thought to be suffering alcohol poisoning.
They called an ambulance, and medics found indications of severe head trauma, as one of Hoare’s pupils was unresponsive and dilated.
Reti said Hoare was still in the high dependency unit in hospital.
While he has made progress, he still has blurred vision, a tracheal tube in place to help him breathe and he can’t sit up in a chair for much more than an hour a day, she said.
Glen Innes Sergeant Grant Harris said police received reports of a crash involving two vehicles at the intersection of Greenlane East and Ascot Ave, Remuera, about 9.45pm on July 14.
Harris said police were investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash to get a better understanding of what happened.
‘‘Police arrived at the scene and spoke to the occupants of both vehicles, however, it is alleged the driver of one of the vehicles fled the scene.’’
Reti said Hoare was not the driver of the car, but was ‘‘sitting in the back in the middle’’.
Harris said, as it was an active investigation, police could not offer further comment around the circumstances of the incident.
A Givealittle page has been set up to support Hoare’s recovery.