Girl, 18, is killed after an accused drunk driver 'hit her parked car when he veered onto the wrong side of the road'
- The girl, 18, was hit when an accused drunk driver veered to wrong side of road
- The man only suffered minor injuries and was charged with driving over the limit
- Tributes flowing in for Nga Roimata Beattie-Rihari online from family and friends
A teenage girl was killed when an accused drunk driver hit her parked car.
Nga Roimata Beattie-Rihari died about 7.45pm Sunday in Moerewa on New Zealand's North Island when a 43-year-old man allegedly veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit her vehicle.
The 18-year-old's car was forced backwards and smashed into a concrete power pole, killing her instantly.
Nga Roimata Beattie-Rihari (pictured) died about 7.45pm Sunday in Moerewa on New Zealand's North Island
The driver of the other car only suffered minor injuries and was charged with driving while over the blood alcohol limit, NZ Herald reported.
Tributes are flowing online for the teenager but family have said they will wait until lockdown restrictions have eased until they give Ms Beattie-Rihari a funeral.
Family are waiting for New Zealand to drop to level three restrictions where a funeral can be held with up to ten people in attendance.
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'This is an update for Nga Roimata Beattie Rihari. From tomorrow until next week Tuesday, she will be put on ice. This will be until we go from level 4 down to level 3,' family member Mere Heeni Beattie Rihari wrote on Facebook.
'We will then be able to give her the send off that she deserves and will also give whānau and friends the opportunity to pay their respects.
'Please keep in mind that we will still keep to the required restrictions of 2m distancing, and will be allowing 5 people at a time to pay their respects to our beloved.'
The 18-year-old's car was forced backwards and smashed into a concrete power pole, killing her instantly
Tributes are flowing online for the teenager but family have said they will wait until lockdown restrictions have eased until they give Ms Beattie-Rihari a funeral
Friend Shakeera Te Rangi said Ms Beattie-Rihari had a 'heart of gold'.
'She hated seeing others be sad, she just had this way of making people smile. She didn't deserve this,' Ms Te Rangi said.
Northland Police Sergeant Ryan Gray said the 18-year-old was in a parked car when she was hit and do not believe the man driving the other car was out for essential travel.
'It was an unnecessary tragedy at an already difficult time. The driver should not have been out and about during the COVID-19 lockdown,' Sergeant Gray said.
An investigation into the crash is underway with the Serious Crash Unit looking into whether speed was a contributing factor.
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