Teen driver pleads guilty to bollard crash that killed Knights junior

MISSED: Elijah Faalua died when the car he was a passenger in hit a bollard.

A TEENAGER has pleaded guilty to causing the crash that killed 17-year-old Knights' junior Elijah Faalua when his car hit a concrete bollard in the Hunter Economic Zone last year.

The teenager, now 18, who cannot be identified because he was a juvenile at the time of the crash, had pleaded not guilty and was expected to face a hearing in Cessnock Children's Court on Monday.

But the teenager, who is represented by solicitor James Janke, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death after the DPP agreed to withdraw a number of other charges.

He will be sentenced in October, when the court will hear victim impact statements from members of Elijah's family.

The teenager was driving a Subaru Forester along HEZ Drive at Pelaw Main about 11.10pm on April 8 when he failed to keep left of the dividing line and collided heavily with concrete bollards in the middle of the road.

The concrete bollards in the middle of HEZ Drive.

Elijah - a Kurri junior and Newcastle Knights' Harold Matthews rep - was thrown from the front passenger seat and died at the scene.

The teenage driver was arrested in August last year after an investigation by the Hunter Crash Investigation Unit.

The placement of the yellow bollards was criticised and the area labelled a "death trap" in the aftermath of the teenager's death.

But 16 months on the bollards still stand on the long stretch of road, except now are adorned with a sticker saying: "Faalua. Forever 17".

The bollard on HEZ Drive as it stands now.