Man pleads guilty to truck crash

Photo / APN

Four or five years of cosmetic surgery lies ahead for the young victim of a horrifying shipping container crash at the Sockburn round-about.

Jazmin Moore, now aged 18, was at the Christchurch District Court today to see the truck driver who caused the accident that crushed her plead guilty, Christchurch Court News website reported.

The driver, 48-year-old Richard Tuturu Iti, of Linwood, who has 25 years experience of driving trucks, admitted the charge of careless driving causing injury.

Judge Oke Blaikie pressed ahead with a sentencing immediately, saying he sensed that was what everyone wanted to happen.

He disqualified Iti for six months, ordered him to do 40 hours of community work, and ordered him to pay $2500 to Miss Moore at a rate that is still to be negotiated.

It was a case where his carelessness had huge and tragic consequences for the victim, said the judge.

It also led to Iti losing his job and he had since been ill and was now on a sickness benefit.

Iti went to see Miss Moore and her family in hospital two weeks after the crash and she said after today's hearing that she was okay with the result and pleased it was over.

She was no longer doing horse riding, which she had done before the crash, and she still faced four or five years of cosmetic surgery.

Defence counsel Glenn Henderson argued there were special circumstances and Iti did not need to be disqualified for the required term, but Judge Blaikie rejected that. He noted that there had been special circumstances and no disqualification when Iti was convicted of careless driving in 2005.

Iti originally pleaded not guilty to the Sockburn charge and was due for a defended hearing today, but had advised the police last week that he was changing his plea to guilty.

Police said that at 7.30am on May 28, he was driving a large truck and trailer rig around the round-about in the rain, when he turned too tightly and the trailer wheels went up onto the round-about kerb, tipping the shipping container onto Miss Moore's car.

She received massive injuries. Her pelvis was broken, requiring permanent pins. Her right arm was bruised, her tail-bone cracked, and she had lacerations and bruising to her liver. Small bones were broken in her lower back.

Mr Henderson said Iti had pleaded not guilty because he struggled to see his own carelessness in a situation where there was conflicting evidence. However, he had expressed his remorse at the time and had been to see the victim and her family.

"This has gone a long way to making his peace with them."

Police prosecutor Sergeant Paul Brocas said he was at a loss to see the special reasons and opposed the application. He said if Iti did get more work as a truck driver, he would be able to apply for a limited licence.

- NZPA