The friends of a 21-year-old Sydney woman who died while driving her car into oncoming traffic say they were unaware of her death when they posted a controversial selfie showing their recovery in hospital.
Speaking on Channel 7’s Sunday Night, Faeda Hunter and Hazel Wildman described the lead-up to the April 28 death of their friend Shania McNeill. They also touched on the aftermath of the photo, which showed the pair smiling in neck braces after the devastating crash.
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The pair said all three of the women had been drinking at a Richmond club before McNeill took to the wheel. A toxicology report found McNeill had MDMA and twice the legal limit of alcohol in her blood system at the time of her death.
Snapchat footage taken in the car by Hunter shows McNeill deliberately swerving the car onto the wrong side of the road. The video cuts out moments before her vehicle smashed into an oncoming car.
McNeill died of internal injuries sustained in the crash, while Hunter and Wildman were transported to hospital with less severe injuries. The two occupants of the other car were seriously hurt; driver Dennis Sales was in a coma for two days after the crash.
The story made international headlines due to a Snapchat photo posted by Wildman, showing her and Hunter posing in hospital. The pair now say they were unaware of their friend’s death at the time of the shot.
Joel Bentley, McNeill’s former partner was quoted as saying “it’s disgraceful. If your friend’s just died, in hospital, who the hell takes a photo?”
“When the selfie was posted in the hospital we were not aware of the condition of Shania,” Hunter said.
When asked why they decided to post the photo despite their bloodied faces, Wildman says it was to let friends and family know they were fine.
“I just sort of put it out there to say ‘we’re all good, we’re okay,’” Wildman said.
“I thought Shania was still with us at that time. I even sent it off to her Snapchat – personal message. She never opened it though.”
The pair apologised to the other crash victims, with Hunter calling for people to “be more cautious of what they’re doing as a passenger, as well.
“As a driver, not only thinking about yourself or the people in your vehicle, but the people in other vehicles as well.”
You can watch the conversation here.
