Man charged after car-surfing accident

A 29-year-old New Plymouth man is facing drink-driving and dangerous driving charges after his partner was seriously injured while car-surfing.

The woman, 26, suffered head and facial injuries after falling from the roof of a four-wheel-drive vehicle, driven by the man, in suburban Bell Block about 7pm yesterday.

The man appeared in New Plymouth District Court yesterday and was remanded on bail to reappear later this month.

A group of friends had been drinking heavily at a house in the suburb when they decided to go for a drive, Detective Paul Boren said.

It was the way the car was driven, rather than speed, that threw the woman from the roof, he told The Dominion Post.

The woman was last night in a serious but stable condition in Taranaki Hospital.

- NZPA