Tourist pleads guilty to careless driving charges over Levin crash

Tiang's parents both died as a result of the crash. Photo / File

A woman in New Zealand on holiday has today pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death after a fatal crash near Levin on Monday.

The victims were her parents, who were passengers in the rented people mover she was driving.

Evvon Le Fern Tiang, a 33-year-old Malaysian national, appeared in the Levin District Court charged with two counts of careless driving causing death.

Tiang pleaded guilty to both charges, which related to the single vehicle crash which happened near the corner of SH1 and Lindsay Road at about 7.30pm on July 9.

Judge Susan Edwards said Tiang was driving the people mover through Levin on a straight section of road, which was wet from prior rainfall and in a patch of darkness where there were no streetlights.

A "moment of inattention" caused Tiang to steer over the centre line, and she then over-corrected the vehicle which fishtailed and hit two trees, Judge Edwards said.

"It was a momentary misjudgement on your part," she told Tiang, who wiped away tears in the dock.

"It was carelessness at the very lowest end of the spectrum."

Judge Edwards said the tragic outcome of accident was far greater than the error Tiang made, and that she did not see the need to punish her further with a fine.

Tiang was convicted and disqualified from driving for 12 months for each of the charges.

Tiang's father died at the scene and her mother died the next day in hospital. A grandmother remains in hospital.

Tiang was supported at the court by her family, including an uncle who is believed to work at the Malaysian High Commission.

The family was planning to leave New Zealand for Malaysia as soon as possible, and funerals for the two victims would be held there early next week.