The teen who allegedly caused the death of a 19-year-old girl in a horror car crash will spend Christmas with his family as he considers his plea to the charges against him.
Jake Stock, 18, fronted Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday over the death of Poppy Crozier on South Australia’s Dukes Highway in May this year.
Ms Crozier was behind the wheel of a Mazda station wagon when it collided with a blue ute and truck in Ki Ki, about 145km from Adelaide.
Mr Stock was behind the wheel of the blue ute and police allege he was driving it in a dangerous manner at the time.
He was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries after the crash, while the 35-year-old truck driver escaped without injury.
The police have charged Mr Stock with one count of cause death by dangerous driving and one count of driving without due care and attention.
At his charge determination hearing on Tuesday, the prosecution said it would withdraw a second count of driving without due care.
Police investigators turned their attention to Mr Stock’s “manner of driving” before the crash.
Police said there was an “open line of inquiry” around whether he overtook the truck at the wrong time and caused it to veer into Ms Crozier’s car.
Ms Crozier’s friends took to social media after her death to share their grief.
“Rest easy. You are loved by everyone who got to meet you,” one friend wrote.
Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal set February 1 for Mr Stock’s plea to the charges against him.