One of the victims involved in the Wānaka smash last month was catapulted through their windscreen by the impact and remained "nonresponsive" in a neurological unit after sustaining significant head and facial trauma.
Hong Kong resident Ka Ho Cheung, 31, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday where he admitted four charges of aggravated careless driving causing injury - carrying a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment.
Counsel Piers Blomfield requested his client be sentenced on the spot, but Judge Hermann Retzlaff scheduled a hearing for the end of the month so reports could be compiled on the defendant and the possibility of restorative justice with the victims could be explored.
A police summary said Cheung hired a rental car after landing at Queenstown Airport on September 3, planning to travel over the Crown Range to Wānaka. As he drove down the Cardrona Valley, a motorist travelling behind noted "erratic" changes in speed, dropping to 75kmh, then accelerating to 100kmh repeatedly.
Cheung was also witnessed veering into the gravel on the left of the road several times.
Cheung hit a trailer being towed by a Kia Sorento heading in the opposite direction, before spinning into the path of an MG vehicle carrying three foreign nationals studying in New Zealand.
The head-on collision resulted in one 20-year-old being ejected from the MG. He was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Those in the Kia were uninjured, but Cheung and his wife, as well as the two remaining people from the other vehicle, were rushed to hospital.
The MG’s 21-year-old driver was diagnosed with a broken leg, a broken left arm and a dislocated right arm, while his 21-year-old friend suffered three broken ribs and numerous contusions.
Cheung’s wife sustained abdominal injuries and underwent surgery at Dunedin Hospital, court documents said.
The defendant later told police he could only recall hiring the vehicle in Queenstown and had no memory of the crash.
Mr Blomfield said Cheung was currently staying in a Dunedin hotel and was being supported by members of a church.
While it was not his client’s explanation, he said it appeared from witness statements that the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel.
Mr Blomfield told the court his client had already made a $1000 donation to the rescue helicopter, which rushed to the scene.
He acknowledged Cheung was in line for a substantial financial penalty at sentencing, which would likely be paid to the victims.
The defendant was released on bail.
