German tourist pleads guilty to careless use after head on collision
Monday, 26 August 2019
A German tourist was driving on the wrong side of the road before a head on collision that injured five people in Nelson.
All were taken to hospital, one originally reported to be in a critical condition, after the crash on Saturday afternoon.
Michael Seidel, 27, pleaded guilty to two charges of careless or inconsiderate use of a vehicle in the Nelson District Court on Monday.
The court heard how Seidel was driving a campervan along State Highway 6 towards Nelson with his partner on August 24.
The couple had stopped briefly on the side of the road in Atawhai and when Seidel drove back onto the highway he moved into the right lane, in the direction of opposing traffic.
About 4.25pm, an oncoming vehicle appeared around a bend and the vehicle attempted to pull to the left to avoid the van but they collided head on.
St John, which sent three ambulances and two rapid response units, treated and transported five people to Nelson Hospital.
Two elderly victims suffered extensive injuries in the crash. An 80-year-old male had fractured ribs, sternum and spine and a 77-year-old woman had a fractured sternum and spine. Another male in the car was thought to have cracked ribs.
On Monday afternoon, all three remained in Nelson Hospital in a stable condition.
A section of the road was closed while emergency services worked at the scene and reopened around 6pm.
In explanation, Seidel said he saw the car coming and tried to move out of its way but they were heading in the same direction and had crashed.
Seidel and his partner had since been discharged from hospital. Seidel appeared in court on Monday wearing a moon boot and using a crutch. His partner had a visible abrasion across her neck.
Judge Richard Russell asked that the victims be contacted to see if they were interested in attending a restorative justice meeting with Seidel. If so, that would go ahead later in the week and Seidel would then reappear for sentencing.
Judge Russell also asked that a statutory declaration in regards to Seidel's financial position be made in order to work out what he was able to pay by way of emotional harm reparation.