Teen admits to killing Poppy Crozier in crash on Dukes Highway at Ki Ki

A teenager has pleaded guilty over a crash that killed 19-year-old Poppy Crozier in a horror accident on the Dukes Highway last year.

A teenager has pleaded guilty over a crash that killed 19-year-old Poppy Crozier – just a month before he was set to enter pleas.

On Monday, Jake Frederick Stock, 19, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court before Magistrate Brian Nitschke to enter his pleas early, which he indicated to the court in a letter on December 29.

Mr Stock, of Murray Bridge, pleaded guilty to aggravated cause death by dangerous driving over a crash on Dukes Highway at Ki Ki, around 145km from Adelaide, on May 26 last year that resulted in Ms Crozier’s death.

Jake Stock at an earlier court appearance on December 5. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Poppy Crozier, 19, died after being in a road crash at Ki Ki. Picture: Instagram

The maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving is life imprisonment and a disqualification of licence for 10 years or more, however Stock’s early guilty plea could see him eligible for a discount of up to 40 per cent.

Ms Crozier, of Keith, was behind the wheel of a Mazda station wagon, which collided with a blue ute and truck.

Stock, who police alleged was driving the ute in a dangerous manner at the time, was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries after the crash, while the 35-year-old truck driver escaped without injury.

After the incident, police investigators turned their attention to Mr Stock’s “manner of driving” before the crash.

Last year, police said there was an “open line of inquiry” around whether he overtook the truck at the wrong time and caused it to veer into Ms Crozier’s car.

Poppy Crozier’s friends took to social media after they learned of her death to share their grief. Picture: Instagram

A petition calling to make country roads safer in the wake of the crash gained thousands of signatures in hours. Picture: Instagram

In the day following the crash, a petition was started by Megan Quick calling to make country roads safer that received more than 4,500 signatures in less than a week.

“It is cruel to family, friends, and loved ones to fear for the life of others due to a single road that has not been maintained and has been neglected,” Ms Quick wrote on the campaign page of the Change.org petition.

“As a South Australian 19-year-old, I refuse to take another loss of our community without putting up a fight for safer roads.”

Ms Crozier’s friends took to social media after her death to express their grief.

“Rest easy. You are loved by everyone who got to meet you,” one friend wrote.

Another wrote that her “heart is shattered” following Poppy’s death and “this isn’t fair and makes no sense, you didn’t deserve this.

Stock will appear in the District Court for sentencing in March.