Police launch critical incident investigation after serious Edgeworth crash
Police have launched a critical incident investigation after a car crashed into a maxi taxi near Newcastle on Saturday morning shortly after police began to follow it.
Mother-of-three Tamika Wever, 24, was critically injured and ten others were taken to hospital after a Holden Statesman allegedly ran a red light and hit the taxi on Main Road in Edgeworth at about 1.15am.
Eleven people were injured when a car full of teenagers crashed into a maxi taxi near Newcastle on Saturday.Credit:Nine News
Footage from the scene showed the taxi flipped onto its side with the car's windscreen shattered.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said officers were patrolling on Main Road when they saw the Holden leave a service station and performed a U-turn to follow it "due to the manner of driving".
The car full of teenagers then crashed into a Toyota HiAce at the intersection of Garth Street.
Witness Nick Dupont told Nine News he kicked in the taxi's back window and helped to extract some of the injured passengers. He said some of the teenagers who had been in the car were "traumatised".
The taxi's 46-year-old driver, a 42-year-old woman and Ms Wever were seriously injured in the crash, with Ms Wever remaining in a critical condition. The driver is in a serious but stable condition.
Three other men in the taxi, aged 28, 35 and 47, sustained minor injuries.
Two 14-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy who were passengers in the Holden suffered serious injuries, while another 17-year-old male passenger sustained minor injuries.
The 17-year-old driver of the Holden also sustained minor injuries.
Police said the driver of the Holden was given a roadside breath test, which allegedly returned a positive result.
"He was taken to hospital, under police guard, where he underwent mandatory testing," a police spokeswoman said.
"The teen has since been released and taken to Toronto Police Station, where he was charged with 15 offences."
The boy was refused bail and will face a Children's Court on Sunday.
He was charged with three counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, eight counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, driving while disqualified, and not stopping before lights at a red light.
"A critical incident team will now investigate all circumstances surrounding the crash," the police spokeswoman said.
"That investigation will be subject to independent review."
Friends and family of Ms Wever took to social media on Saturday to express their shock and disbelief and to ask people to pray for her recovery.
"This is devastating," one friend said.
A relative wrote that Ms Wever is "the most beautiful human" and "we all just want you to wake up please".
Get our Morning & Evening Edition newsletters
The most important news, analysis and insights delivered to your inbox at the start and end of each day. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald’s newsletter here, to The Age’s newsletter here and Brisbane Times' here.
Georgina Mitchell is a court reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.