Flowers left at the scene of the crash near Timaru last August. Photo / RNZ / Conan Young
By RNZ
The sole survivor of a car crash that killed five teenage boys near Timaru will be sentenced for dangerous driving causing death when he appears in the High Court today.
Tyreese Stuart Fleming, 20, was driving the overloaded car when it smashed into a power pole with such force the car split in two in Washdyke on 7 August last year.
His passengers: Andrew Goodger, 15, Niko Hill, 15, Javarney Drummond, 15, Jack Wallace, 16, and Joseff McCarthy, 16, were killed instantly.
Police initially charged Fleming with five counts of manslaughter but in April he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of dangerous driving causing death.
The court previously heard Fleming obtained his restricted driver's licence on 4 August, just three days before the crash, and had been drinking alcohol at the Caroline Bay skate park before he got behind the wheel.
The six teens left the skate park with Goodger in the boot of Fleming's car, even though he was prohibited from carrying passengers.
The court heard Fleming lost control at the intersection of Seadown and Meadows Roads at a speed of between 110km/h and 115km/h.
The car hit a concrete pole and split in two, throwing Wallace and Hill from the vehicle.
The front half of the car ended up 26 metres down the road.
RNZ understands a significant number of victim impact statements will be read to the court when Fleming is sentenced this morning.
- RNZ
The vehicle was damaged while later being towed and an $11k claim by the owner followed.