A young woman had taken drugs and “not slept” before driving an unregistered Toyota into the path of an oncoming car, killing a woman who was on holiday with her husband.
Storm Cecilia Tientjes, 29, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving in a road accident at Copping, in southeast Tasmania, on Good Friday morning 2023.
Tientjes, who has never had a driver’s license, lied to police when he was initially questioned at the scene, saying that a man named Sam had been behind the wheel and had gotten away.
Earlier in the trip he had recorded himself on his phone swerving on the gravel shoulder of the road.
Tientjes crossed on the wrong side of the road and collided with a car driven by Rishab Jaiswal, who attempted to take evasive action.
Storm Cecilia Tientjes, 29 (pictured), pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
The court heard Tientjes (pictured) took drugs and “didn’t sleep” before driving an unregistered Toyota into the path of an oncoming car on Good Friday morning 2023.
Mr Jaiswal’s wife, Shadari Athrey, was ejected from the car and died at the scene.
The couple, who had been married for just over a year, had traveled from Queensland and arrived in Tasmania the previous day.
“The impact on Mr Jaiswal has been devastating,” Crown prosecutor Mick Allen told the Tasmanian Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Tientjes, who was in the car with her friend and her young son, suffered a minor injury to her right thumb. The child was not injured.
Allen said Tientjes’ culpability was extremely high as he knew she had not slept, was extremely tired and had taken drugs immediately before driving.
“There is clear evidence that she had been driving recklessly on an earlier part of the same trip,” he said.
‘This is not an isolated act of driving. All road users in that area were exposed to risk.’
Tientjes and her friend had spent the night before the accident in a boat moored at a nearby jetty with a fisherman.
The Supreme Court of Tasmania (pictured) heard harrowing new details about the fatal crash.
A man who saw her walking away on Good Friday morning told police “her eyes were glassy like she was crazy.”
Tientjes, who has previous driving convictions, also pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a number of other charges related to the crash.
He admitted having illegal drugs including methylamphetamine in his system while driving, reckless driving and possessing a hookah and a glass pipe.
He also pleaded guilty to smoking in a car while a child was present, driving without a licence, altering a number plate and using an unregistered car.
His sentencing hearing is expected to resume on June 20.
