A young Mosgiel man has accepted responsibility for the death of one of his passengers in an early morning car crash near Mosgiel in April.
Cameron James Thomas, a 19-year-old labourer, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday and admitted causing the death of Joshua Anderson on April 27 by driving with a breath-alcohol level of 699mcg.
Mr Anderson, 19, was sitting behind the driver when the Honda saloon failed to take a bend in Riverside Rd about 3am and rolled sideways into a drain.
As it rolled, the car struck the base of a tree, the impact breaking the right rear window beside Mr Anderson.
He was partly ejected from the car, his upper body being trapped between the upturned car and the side of the drain and his legs being pushed into the back of the driver's seat.
He could not be freed and died at the scene.
Thomas and the three other young men in the car escaped with minor injuries.
Police prosecutor Tim Hambleton told the court all five had been drinking at a party in Bush Rd and, when the party wound up, decided to go for a drive.
When police spoke to him after the crash, Thomas admitted he had been drinking. His breath-alcohol registered at 699mcg.
He said they were "just going for a drive" and, "next thing", they ended up in the ditch.
Thomas was remanded on bail by Judge Dominic Flatley for possible restorative justice and for sentence on October 16.
