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Police are considering laying manslaughter charges against a man over the death of his girlfriend and unborn baby in a head-on crash at the weekend.
Amanda Marie Brasell, who was seven-months pregnant, was killed instantly when a Subaru car driven by her partner John Nauer, 23, lost control going down a hill in rural Masterton on Saturday.
The car skidded sideways into an oncoming Toyota van carrying a Featherston family.
Witnesses have told police that the Subaru may have been racing along the Blairlogie-Langdale Rd, east of Masterton, shortly before the crash.
Two other cars, another Subaru and a black sports car, were also seen travelling at high speed, almost in file.
Police believe that high speed was a factor in the crash and that no one in Mr Nauer's car was wearing seatbelts.
Detective Sergeant Mark McHattie said today that a legal opinion would be sought this week before any charges were laid, but that manslaughter charges were being considered.
The alternatives were dangerous or reckless driving causing death.
If it could be determined that 20-year-old Miss Brasell's baby could have survived birth in the seventh month of pregnancy, further charges would be laid against Mr Nauer, he said.
Mr Nauer was cut from the wreckage and flown to Wellington Hospital, where he is in a serious but stable condition with chest and leg injuries.
A 24-year-old back-seat passenger in Mr Nauer's car was treated at Wairarapa Hospital and discharged.
The Featherston family -- a woman, 33, and her husband, 40, and children aged 11 and three -- were all treated at hospital for their injuries but have since been discharged.
- NZPA
