Man arrested over fatal crash at Brukunga that killed father of three Nick Peart in April

A man has been charged over a crash that killed a father of three at Brukunga in the Adelaide Hills last month.

Nick Peart, 39, was remembered as a passionate family man. Picture: Supplied by family

The driver of a car that slammed into a tree and killed a father of three last month has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Nick Peart, 39, of Nairne, was the passenger in a ute that hit a tree on Pyrites Road, north of Brukunga in the Adelaide Hills, about 5.30pm on Monday. April 5.

The driver, a 28-year-old Mount Barker man, was flown to the Mount Barker hospital and left fighting for life.

Blood samples were taken from the man at the time, which recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.169, nearly four times the legal limit.

The ute crashed into a tree on Pyrites Road. Picture: Mark Brake

The man was arrested on Monday and charged with aggravated cause death by dangerous driving, aggravated driving without due care and exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol.

He lost his licence for 12 months and was bailed to appear in the Mount Barker Magistrates Court in September.

Mr Peart was remembered by his mother, Wendy O’Leary, as a “passionate family man”, when she spoke to The Advertiser a few days after her son’s death.

“Nick was a very passionate family man with his wife and children,” she said.

“He was fiercely proud of his family.”