Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:00a.m.
A woman killed in a crash in Manawatu at the weekend was the mother of a teenager who died after being abandoned following a crash nine months ago.
Joanne Bowler, 52, was killed when she lost control of her Ford Mondeo at Bunnythorpe, north of Palmerston North, and crashed into a house about 2pm on Saturday.
Another woman aged in her 20s and three children were in the car at the time.
Police this morning said the woman was critically ill in Wellington Hospital, while a six-year-old boy was critical but stable in Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland.
A nine-year-old boy was also in Starship in a stable condition while a three-year-old girl was stable in Palmerston North Hospital.
All were all part of the same family and live in the Feilding area.
The Manawatu Standard reported that Mrs Bowler was the mother of Jordan Bowler, 17, who died in January after the car he was a passenger in crashed near Palmerston North.
The driver , Mr Bowler's cousin Larry Rima Hati, was jailed after he and another cousin fled the scene of the crash, leaving the teenager seriously injured in a ditch after he was thrown from the car.
Hati was charged with dangerous driving causing death, failing to stop and check for injuries and driving while disqualified.
Police who attended the midnight crash could not find Mr Bowler, but his father, Michael Cribb, found him lying under bushes near the crash scene nine hours later.
The young man died in hospital from his injuries several days later.
Police were investigating the cause of the Bunnythorpe crash today and wanted to hear from witnesses.
NZPA