Warning: Contains Distressing Footage
Police have released footage of the final moments of a woman who died playing ‘chicken’, in the hope of warning others.
21-year-old Shania McNeill from Queensland died following a head-on car collision in Sydney, after crashing her Suzuki into a Nissan Micra. She was given CPR at the scene, but died before she could be treated by paramedics.
Her final moments were captured on a Snapchat story, taken by another passenger. The footage concludes with the person taking the video screaming, and shows Shania driving on the wrong side of the road. The beam of an oncoming headlights can be seen coming towards her.
Police are now looking into reports that Shania could have been playing ‘chicken’ while driving. They are also investigating whether or not alcohol played a role in the collision.
Speaking with 9News, Shania’s father, Lee McNeill, said Shania’s death would ‘haunt’ him for the rest of his life:
It was that knock at the door that every parent dreads… you know three-thirty, four o’clock in the morning, that pounding on the door, that sound down the hall… it’s going to haunt me for the rest of my life.
I never knew it was possible to feel anything like this. I just wish I could have told her I love her.
Shania’s mother, Tennille McNeill, is reportedly due to give birth to her fifth child, and is said to be ‘a complete mess’ following the death of her daughter.
Speaking of the crash, Mr McNeill said:
I think it was reckless of them all to be sort of distracting each other.
You can watch the footage for yourself below:
The two male occupants of the other vehicle survived the crash but have both been injured, as reported by the MailOnline.
The day following the crash, the two friends who had been travelling in the car with Shania returned to Snapchat and took selfies from their hospital beds.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy told 9News how the Snapchat video taken during the fatal collision will form part of the police investigation:
I’m sure in hindsight those people regret doing that.
The message needs to get through to the community, it needs to get through to the people driving the car as well as passengers and anyone else in the car that it’s unacceptable.
Our thoughts are with the family of Shania McNeill at this difficult time.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.