Police charge woman stranded for two days in crashed car

Marion Hounsome and her elderly mother were trapped in remote Westland. Picture / Simon Baker

The woman who spent two nights down a steep bank with her elderly mother after their car plunged off a cliff in south Westland has been charged with careless use of a motor vehicle.

Marion Hounsome, of Christchurch, will appear in the Whataroa District Court in December.

Her 71-year-old mother suffered a cracked knee and black eye after their car missed a tight bend on the Cook Saddle three weeks ago.

The women were found two days later when a tourist who stopped to take a photo heard their cries for help.

A Hokitika police spokesman said Ms Hounsome faced a charge of careless driving. He said police needed to maintain a consistent approach to the offence.

Ms Hounsome, 40, is due to appear in Whataroa District Court on December 7.

- NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA