Drunk and showing off the power of his V-8 Holden Commodore, Walter John Gosling reached 236km an hour near Winchester before the crash that killed his friend.
Ricky James Foster, 34, was killed by head injuries he received when Gosling’s car crashed into a water race. He was not wearing a seat belt in the back seat and was thrown out through the rear window or door and landed 25m from the car.
Gosling, 37, today admitted charges of manslaughter by dangerous driving, and causing injury to his passenger while driving with excess blood-alcohol.
He pleaded guilty before Justice David Gendall in the High Court at Christchurch and was remanded in custody for sentencing on May 31. The judge asked for a pre-sentence report.
The Crown said Gosling, Foster, from Temuka, and a 33-year-old friend from Timaru, were drinking at Temuka on the night of February 19-20, when they decided to “go for a burn” at 12.30am so Gosling could show off his V-8 Commodore.
Gosling and the other passenger put on seat belts, but Foster did not buckle up in the back seat. It was raining and visibility was poor, the Crown said.
On Factory Road near Winchester, Gosling was driving at about 236km an hour before he approached a moderate right hand bend with a posted speed advisory sign of 75km an hour.
He lost control, with the car sliding and crashing into a water-race, which sent it rotating and rolling several times before coming to rest in the water-race.
The car stopped 72m from where it first hit the water-race. Gosling and other other passenger remained in the car, but Foster was thrown out.
Gosling received a fractured eye socket and cuts and bruises. The other passenger received a broken arm, and cuts and bruises. Foster was killed.
At hospital, a blood test showed Gosling had a leel of 99mg of alcohol to 100 millilitres of blood – twice the legal limit.
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