Elderly librarian disqualified from driving

The woman was convicted of careless driving causing injury. Photo / File

An elderly librarian whose vehicle crashed into another librarian's vehicle on a single-lane bridge near Wanaka has been disqualified from driving for six months.

Gaileen Margaret Croswell, 75, of Gladstone, was convicted of careless driving causing injury after the September 5 crash left her colleague, Sara Louise Davis, nursing a broken collarbone.

Croswell drove on to the narrow Albert Town bridge on State Highway 6, over the Clutha River, shortly after midday.

But she had failed to spot her colleague's car coming from the opposite direction.

Prosecuting Sergeant Ian Collin, in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, said there had been "a number of accidents on that bridge due to the layout".

The resulting crash caused "moderately serious damage" to both cars and blocked the road, he said.

Croswell injured her neck, while her colleague's collarbone had a minor fracture.

Croswell's solicitor, Sonia Vidal, said her client had already arranged to pay her colleague's medical bills and her insurance company had paid for the damage to Davis' car.

Ms Vidal said as the pair work together there was no need for a formal restorative justice meeting as they had already informally spoken about the accident.

"The relationship doesn't need repairing more than it already has been," Ms Vidal said.

Croswell had been driving for 60 years and this was her first time before the courts, Ms Vidal said.

Croswell was convicted and disqualified from driving for six months.