Woman’s moment of distraction killed elderly mother in Wellington highway crash

• Tracey Nickel, 62, was sentenced for careless driving causing the death of her mother.
• Nickel rear-ended a car on State Highway 2, injuring Jill Nickel, who died four days later.
• Judge Paul Mabey has sentenced Nickel to community work and disqualification.

A woman is living “every driver’s worst nightmare” after she rear-ended a car on a Wellington highway, causing the death of her elderly mother.

Tracey Nickel, 62, had never even had demerit points before the crash and had since been “racking her brain trying to figure out how she lost concentration”, lawyer Cathie Sheat said.

Nickel appeared in the Wellington District Court today for sentencing, having earlier pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death.

She was driving along State Highway 2 between Petone and Ngauranga with her mother, 92-year-old Jill Nickel, in the passenger seat when she failed to notice the flow of traffic had slowed ahead of her.

“It was too late when she put on the brakes and she impacted the rear of the car in front,” Judge Paul Mabey said.

“The carelessness was not being alert to what was happening ahead.”

Jill Kathleen Nickel died in November last year.

Jill Nickel was seriously injured and died in hospital four days later.

Judge Mabey noted that Tracey Nickel had lived with her parents for many years, became the carer for her mother after her father’s death, and had bought a single-storey home so her mother could be housed more comfortably. Her mother had dementia and mobility issues.

“I have documents from the brother, sister, sister-in-law and other people. Understandably, all of them support Ms Nickel. There is no grudge ... only absolute unconditional love and support.”

Judge Mabey noted that simple actions, such as reaching down to turn on the radio, looking out the window at a passing car or just not noticing the brake lights of cars in front, were all “just momentary lapses which can have terrible consequences”.

Jill Nickel died days after a crash on SH2 near Ngauranga, Wellington. Photo / NZTA

“Ms Nickel has lost her mother. She carries the burden of knowing she caused her death.”

Sheat said her client was of good character and had never had any demerits in all her years of driving.

“It must be every driver’s worst nightmare, to cause a death and then worse to cause the death of a close family member.”

Sheat noted that the occupants of the car that Nickel hit had been in touch with her since the incident.

“They have no ill feelings, just sadness that Ms Nickel has lost her mother.”

Judge Mabey sentenced Nickel to 40 hours of community work and disqualified her from driving for six months.

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.