KEY POINTS:
A mother-of-five is facing a murder charge, eight months after the bizarre death of her former partner in a high-speed crash in which he allegedly spent 20 terrifying minutes clinging for life to the window wiper of her car.
Darin Paul Maxwell, 42, died on August 6 last year after he was catapulted into the path of an oncoming 4WD vehicle from the bonnet of a car that, police allege, was being driven by Cindy Marcia Fairburn.
On Friday, Fairburn walked into the New Plymouth police station and was charged with murder.
Police allege Fairburn, 37, drove intentionally into the path of the oncoming vehicle near the intersection of State Highway 3 and Mangorei Rd. Police claim it was a deliberate attempt to kill her ex-partner and the father of one of her children.
The drama unfolded after a row earlier that night between Maxwell and Fairburn at the Heritage Hotel in Inglewood.
A short time later Fairburn is alleged to have driven off with Maxwell on the bonnet of her Mazda Lantis.
She is then alleged to have driven from Inglewood to the outskirts of New Plymouth - nearly 20km - with Maxwell holding on desperately to a wiper blade.
Police allege she then drove intentionally into the path of Brett McCall's oncoming Isuzu Trooper.
Maxwell died 20 minutes after the crash, while Fairburn spent several months in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
She is now on crutches after losing part of a leg.
McCall, 41 - a meteorological "storm chaser" - also survived, but sustained many injuries.
"I was just driving along and the next thing I saw was headlights," McCall said yesterday. "The car hit my vehicle and my head hit the steering wheel. Then the body smashed through my windscreen and hit me in the head, breaking my teeth and cutting my mouth.
"I was going in and out of consciousness."
Even in his fragile state, he could tell Maxwell had lost his legs in the accident - and was clinging precariously to life.
Ambulance services soon arrived, but Maxwell died 20 minutes later en route to hospital.
McCall's life is on hold as he remains virtually bed-ridden from the extensive range of injuries he sustained that night.
He is furious at the woman allegedly responsible: "She's taken a few years off my life. I'm pissed off she (allegedly) crashed into me."
The murder charge was yesterday greeted with relief by Maxwell's eldest sister Polly Schwass. She said the family was "over the moon" and had little sympathy for Fairburn.
"My brother was so engrossed with her. He was going to marry her at one stage."
She said the couple had had a tempestuous relationship.
Schwass recalled the night in August her brother died and the heated argument that had allegedly sparked the tragic events later that evening.
The Maxwell family had been sharing drinks at the Heritage Hotel after having buried an uncle earlier in the day. Fairburn had also been at the hotel that night.
Fairburn had not attended Maxwell's funeral, a decision Schwass said was wise. "There would have been such a ruckus."
"He (Maxwell) was my favourite brother. He was always so special to me."
Fairburn made a brief appearance in the New Plymouth District Court on Friday and was remanded on bail for a pre-depositions hearing on April 17.
