Mother, 30, is charged with causing the death of her daughter and stepson when the car she was driving slammed into a ute – and police allege she had drugs in her system
- A mother has been charged with causing the death of her daughter and stepson
- She allegedly had a prescribed illicit drug in her system at the time
- Both she, her partner and driver of other car walked away virtually unscathed
A mother has been charged with causing the death of her daughter and stepson after allegedly crashing her car with illicit drugs in her system.
Stacey Cunningham was driving her Mazda sedan on the WA Day long weekend when she collided with a ute in Georgina, near Geraldton, on June 1.
Her daughter Harmonie, 10, and seven-year-old stepson Nate were in the back of the car. They were both killed on impact.
Another passenger in his 30s who was sitting in the back seat was seriously injured in the crash, while Cunningham, her partner and the driver of the ute all walked away virtually unscathed.
Harmonie, 10, (left) and her seven-year-old step brother Nate (right) were in the back of the car and died in the crash
On Monday, police confirmed Cunningham had been charged with two counts of careless driving causing death.
She was also charged with careless driving causing grievous bodily harm and allegedly driving with a prescribed illicit drug in her oral fluid or blood.
She will face Geraldton Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The day after the horror crash, Cunningham said she and her partner had decided to take the kids away for a last minute trip.
‘We just decided to take off for the weekend – have a weekend away with the kids,’ she told The West Australian a day after the crash.
‘We were playing in the sand dunes … the kids were having so much fun. It was on the way home when it happened.’
Stacey Cunningham was driving her Mazda sedan on the WA Day long weekend when she collided with a ute in Georgina, near Geraldton, on June 1
The family paid tribute to Harmonie and Nate in a statement after the crash, describing them as smart, energetic and caring
The family paid tribute to Harmonie and Nate in a statement after the crash, describing them as smart, energetic and caring.
‘Harmonie was smart, she loved gymnastics and was extremely independent,’ the statement said.
Cunningham previously described Harmonie as a ‘little mother’ to everyone around her.
‘Harmonie was like a 10-year-old mother to everyone younger than her, she tried to boss everyone around,’ she said.
She said her daughter loved her partner and Nate as though they were her biological father and brother.
‘Nate was energetic, a chatterbox… who always made you laugh.’