Friends comment on Sydney Snapchat crash
Friends and victims of a young Sydney woman, who died in a car crash after driving dangerously for social media videos, have spoken about the "horrifying" night that tore apart their lives.
One of the last videos of 21-year-old Shania McNeill, posted on Snapchat in late April, showed her driving across double lines and playing chicken with oncoming traffic.
McNeill, along with her passengers Hazel Wildman and Faeda Hunter, had been drinking at a Richmond club earlier that night.
The three, all aged in their early 20s, left at 12.30am on April 28 and were heading to a friend's home, Seven Network reported on Sunday.
Hunter, in the front passenger seat, was filming McNeill as they drove the small Suzuki through Sydney's north west.
"We were encouraging her for a while... then it started to get scary," Hunter said.
McNeill was driving erratically and her two friends felt they couldn't get her to stop.
"It was very reckless driving... stupid," Wildman said.
Dennis Sales and Ken Morrow, musicians who had played at a Riverstone RSL club that night, were on their way home after the gig when McNeill's car smashed into them head-on at Berkshire Park after 1am.
"No time to react," Mr Morrow said.
"Instant lights out for us."
Wildman was left with a badly broken ankle while Hunter had stopped breathing and had a fractured spine.
They survived but McNeill would die from internal injuries.
"I remember seeing all of it, it was horrifying, horrible," Wildman said.
Mr Sales had a broken back, shoulder, ribs, ruptured spleen and had his heart shifted by the force of the impact. He was in a coma for days.
Mr Morrow, who had been driving, had a shattered wrist and needed surgery.
Toxicology tests would later reveal McNeill had MDMA, cannabis and alcohol in her system, Seven Network said.
Hunter and Wildman said they did not see McNeill take drugs but they knew she was drinking before the crash.
The outrage sparked by the Snapchat videos among police and the public erupted into international headlines when Wildman posted a selfie from the hospital after the crash.
She was bloodied and wide-eyed, looking into the camera. Hunter was in the background on a hospital bed. Both were in neck braces.
The women say they weren't aware McNeill had died when the picture was posted online.
"We just put it out there to say we're all good, we're okay, I thought Shania was still with us at that time," Wildman said.
The two women want to apologise for the "reckless act" to Mr Morrow and Mr Sales.
"From the bottom of our hearts we're terribly sorry," Wildman said.
The two men said they aren't seeking to lay blame on McNeill's family and recognise their grief following the "senseless" stunt.
