How a driver on synthetic cannabis killed seven people including baby girl in horror crash 

‘He was way gone… wasted’: How a driver high on synthetic cannabis killed six people including his six-month-old daughter in a horror crash

  • Seven people were killed in a horror crash – including a baby – in New Zealand
  • Jeremy Thompson was high on drugs when his car veered  across centre line
  • The car smashed into the oncoming vehicle, killing the elderly occupants

Six month old Shady-Jade Thompson (pictured) was killed when the car she was in veered across the centre line and crashed into an oncoming vehicle

A driver who died in a horrific car crash that killed six other people – including his baby daughter – had been high on synthetic drugs before swerving into oncoming traffic in a drug haze. 

Jeremy Thompson was seen smoking synthetic cannabis as he waited in the McDonald’s drive-thru moments before the fatal crash on State Highway 3, near Waverley on New Zealand’s North Island on June 27, 2018.

His car had veered across the centre line and smashed into the oncoming vehicle. 

Ian Porteous, his wife Rosalie Porteous, his sister Ora Keene and friend Brenda Williams were killed.

Mr Thompson was also killed, along with his six-month-old daughter Shady-Jade Thompson. 

His girlfriend Ani Nohinohi was the sole survivor of the crash, but suffered horrific injuries including damage to her brain. 

Ms Nohinohi’s eight-year-old daughter Nivek Madams was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but sadly also died the following day.

Ian and Rosalie Porteous (both pictured) were killed when a car veered across the centre line

Ian and Rosalie Porteous (both pictured) were killed when a car veered across the centre line

Eight-year-old Nivek Madams (pictured) was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but sadly also died the following day

Eight-year-old Nivek Madams (pictured) was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but sadly also died the following day

A coronial inquest into the deaths has found Mr Thompson was impaired due to his use of synthetic drugs, Stuff reported.

‘The overriding reason why the crash occurred was because Jeremy had smoked synthetic cannabis and was an impaired driver. He was not fit to drive and the result was the crash,’ coroner Tim Scott told the Whanganui District Court this week.

During the inquest, the court was told how Mr Thompson has smoked three cones of synthetic cannabis before he and his partner and the two children got in the vehicle.

They picked up more bags of synthetic cannabis before going to McDonald’s.

While ordering at the drive-thru a worker noticed Mr Thompson has been slurring his words and also noted Ms Nohinohi packing a pipe with a cannabis-like substance before lighting up.

Mr Thompson was then seen being handed the pipe and smoking it before the family drove off.

Emergency crews at the scene of the crash (pictured) were only able to save to one occupant

Emergency crews at the scene of the crash (pictured) were only able to save to one occupant 

Jeremy Thompson (pictured with Ani Nohinohi) had been smoking synthetic cannabis on the day of the fatal crash

Jeremy Thompson (pictured with Ani Nohinohi) had been smoking synthetic cannabis on the day of the fatal crash

Jeremy Thompson was seen smoking synthetic cannabis as he made his way through the McDonald's drive-thru (pictured) moments before his car veered across the centre line on State Highway 3, near Waverley on New Zealand's North Island

Jeremy Thompson was seen smoking synthetic cannabis as he made his way through the McDonald’s drive-thru (pictured) moments before his car veered across the centre line on State Highway 3, near Waverley on New Zealand’s North Island

The McDonald’s staffer had told a colleague the pair had appeared ‘way gone’.

What is synthetic cannabis? 

Synthetic cannabis are designer drugs that are commonly sprayed onto plant matter and are usually smoked.

The drug was outlawed in New Zealand in 2014 after a slew of deaths.

Since the rug was outlawed black-market batches were created 

While giving evidence, Ms Nohinohi said she no recollection of the lead-up to the crash.

‘I think it is quite likely that I had fallen asleep because I had been ‘synnied out’.

A witness who was first on scene revealed there was silence after the crash.

‘There was no noise after the accident. I didn’t hear any screaming, or voices, it was just silent, it was horrible.’

Coroner Scott said the crash could have possibly been prevented if action was taken to try to stop the drugged driver by reporting him to police. 

He has backed the calls for random roadside drug testing to be introduced in New Zealand.

 



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