Fatal-crash teen driver in second collision

A teenager charged over a crash in which 11 people were hurt, one fatally, is now facing fresh counts of dangerous driving after a second accident.

The 18-year-old appeared in Rotorua District Court yesterday charged with failing to report an accident involving injury, dangerous driving causing injury and driving while suspended.

The charges stem from a crash in Vaughans Rd, Rotorua, on Saturday night in which a passenger was hurt.

Judge James Weir granted the defendant interim name suppression until tomorrow afternoon.

The Rotorua Boys High School student was arrested on Tuesday night. Yesterday, he was remanded in custody for a bail hearing today.

He is already facing a charge of dangerous driving causing the death of 16-year-old John Paul College student Jesse Howe and 10 further counts of dangerous driving causing injury.

Those charges were laid after an incident last July in which he and 11 other teens were injured when the van he was driving failed to take a bend and smashed into a bank 14km south of Rotorua on State Highway 5.

Unrestrained teenagers were thrown out the side and back doors and the sunroof.

Injuries to the other occupants ranged from broken legs, a broken pelvis, a broken shoulder and a broken collar bone.

One of the girls lost all her teeth and also suffered severe internal injuries.

The defendant is yet to enter pleas to charges arising from that crash.

The group - which included New Zealand's Next Top Model contestant Daisy Sparke, who was in court supporting the accused yesterday - were heading home from a party in Taupo.

One of the passengers, Jakob Zohs, told the Herald at the time that the driver was a "sensible and on-to-it type" and the group's sober driver.

Jakob, who suffered cuts and bruises, said the group were asleep at the time of the crash.

He awoke to find himself lying in the middle of the state highway.

Jakob said at the time there was no one to speak with the driver to keep him awake.

Jesse Howe was admitted to the intensive care unit at Waikato Hospital but died 22 days later on August 8.

The driver, who suffered serious head injuries, was also admitted to intensive care in a coma.

He was discharged from Waikato Hospital the day after Jesse died.

Yesterday, defence lawyer Max Simpkins argued for name suppression in relation to the recent incident, saying his client would not get a fair trial.

He indicated the defendant was prepared to plead guilty to less serious charges of careless driving causing death and careless driving causing injury. But he said police were "not prepared to move on any of the charges" in a plea-bargain deal.