Driver admits causing highway pile-up
A Motunau Beach man has admitted causing a State Highway 1 pile-up that injured four people.
Joseph Theodorus Martinus Van Roij, 52, pleaded guilty in the Christchurch District Court to four charges of careless driving causing injury.
The pleas have been entered after Van Roij, who also goes by the name Joost, put his company Dutch Homes Ltd into liquidation with several unfinished projects.
Defence counsel Rupert Ward told the court the crash had been horrific for everyone, including Van Roij, and he wanted to investigate whether it would be possible to meet the victims at a restorative justice conference.
“He did want to enter guilty pleas today to give some closure,” said Mr Ward.
Judge Raoul Neave remanded Van Roij to December 19 to give an opportunity for the restorative justice to take place before sentencing. He did not ask for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Logan Steele said the incident took place about 2.30pm on September 19 when Van Roij was driving a vehicle on the Main North Road at Woodend.
He was travelling at about 100km an hour, on a dry road in good visibility, when his vehicle hit the back of a van that was stationary in the road and indicating a right turn into Pa Road, pushing it into the other lane. Two more vehicles then ran into the crashed cars.
Senior Constable Steele detailed a long list of injuries to the four people caught in the smash. That included the van driver being knocked unconscious, and having torn muscles, black eyes, back pain, and others being hospitalised for broken bones, dislocation, black eyes, and ligament damage. One required several operations and spent weeks in hospital.
Van Roij told police he did not remember what had happened, and in his opinion he had done nothing wrong.
Category: News
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Connect
Connect with us via: