Death-car driver not licensed for passengers

The driver of a car that plunged off a Hamilton bridge into the Waikato River, killing three girls, says he is sorry for taking them away.

Through tears, Whiti Hepi, 21, told the Paul Holmes show last night that he took responsibility for the accident in which the three died.

Melville High School students Kristen Armstrong, 14, and Hayley Forbes, 15, and former student Sandra Tungia, 16, were killed when the Subaru Mr Hepi was driving careered off Cobham Bridge early on Saturday and plunged 20m into the river.

Police and family members are still searching the Waikato River for Hayley's body.

The girls had accepted a ride from Mr Hepi and the car's owner, his friend Andrew Kemp, 19, who also survived the crash.

The girls had never met Mr Hepi before.

"I'm sorry for taking the girls away," a tearful Mr Hepi said on Prime TV.

Police expect it to be at least a week before they decide whether to charge the 21-year-old, but Waikato police traffic manager Inspector Leo Tooman said it appeared that speed and alcohol were factors.

During the Paul Holmes interview, Mr Hepi conceded he was "possibly" doing more than 100km/h when the accident happened, on a sweeping bend that leads onto the bridge.

"We were going down Cobham Drive and I lost control of the car and the back end hit the barricade and we went over backwards."

He said he did not deliberately leave his passengers.

"I didn't know if anybody came out. It was dark. I couldn't see anybody in the car. I just remember trees and swimming towards them."

Mr Hepi said he panicked and did not know what to do.

"Course I worried about my passengers," he said.

He got out of the river and ran to a friend's house, where he asked to call his sister.

Meanwhile, Mr Kemp flagged down a courier driver, who called the police to report the tragedy.

"I take responsibility for those girls," Mr Hepi said in his interview.

He said he had a restricted licence and should not have been carrying passengers.

His uncle Tai Hepi told the Herald Whiti was "a good boy".

He said the crash had devastated his nephew and he had not talked to the family about it.

Tai Hepi said his family had spoken to members of the girls' families.

At a special assembly at Melville High School yesterday, principal Margot Crate told students what had happened.

She said the guidance suite and marae at the school would be open all week to help grieving students.

"I spoke to the students about how precious life is," Ms Crate said, "and that these girls' lives had been snatched from them."