Lomu's girlfriend lucky to survive horror crash

By KATHERINE HOBY and NZPA

All Black Jonah Lomu's girlfriend had to be cut free from a car that plunged 20m down a bank near their mansion yesterday morning.

Teina Stace, aged 21, was injured in the accident in the Wellington suburb of Maupuia, and the car was left a crumpled wreck.

The vehicle, a new 4-litre Ford Falcon XR6, was Lomu's All Black vehicle, supplied by Ford.

Police, fire and ambulance staff worked for more than an hour to free Ms Stace from the car. She had a bruised hip and a broken arm.

Wellington central fire station senior officer Mike Mealings said Ms Stace was extremely lucky to come out alive.

He said the car flew about 20m through the air, turned through 180 degrees, then fell 6m before coming to rest on its roof on top of a 20cm concrete wall.

The impact folded the headrest back and pushed Ms Stace's head forward, he said.

"From that point of view she was exceptionally lucky," he said.

He said her seatbelt - and her size - probably saved her life.

"If she was a bigger girl - because she's quite petite - there wouldn't have been enough room to fit her in and something would have had to give."

Mr Mealings said the car was practically folded in half, with the roof being smashed down to the dashboard.

A witness at the scene said Ms Stace was "screaming and crying."

Just before 10 am, specialist rescue officers from Wellington Free Ambulance pulled her up the bank on a stretcher.

All Black spokesman James Funnell said All Blacks and their partners were allowed to drive cars supplied to the team.

Ford had organised a defensive driving course at Whenuapai Air Force base this year so team members could test their road skills.

He said Lomu had spoken to Ms Stace from Wales and was obviously relieved her injuries were not more serious.

Ford public affairs manager Lisa Franklin said the car appeared to be a write-off. She said there had been speculation Ms Stace was driving on a learner's licence but she was fully insured. Lomu would get another car to replace the ruined Ford.

Sponsored All Black vehicles have been involved in several incidents:

* In June last year, Mark Carter wrote off his $46,000 Ford XR6 in Auckland when a driver turned in front of him.

* Last December Pita Alatini lost control of his car, going through a fence into a field.

* In August 1998, national sevens captain and former All Black Eric Rush, using a car allocated to Glen Osborne, crashed head-on into another vehicle. Tauranga man Brendon Malcolm was killed.

* Zinzan Brooke was convicted and fined in 1995 over an incident in which he punched a man through the car window of his All Black car.