LIer pleads guilty in fatal New Zealand crash

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- A Boston University student from Massapequa who crashed a minivan here, killing three classmates, pleaded guilty to careless driving Wednesday and was disqualified from driving.

Stephen Houseman, 20, crashed while driving other students May 12. Police said the minivan drifted to the side of the road and Houseman tried to correct course but ended up rolling the van several times. "It was a classic careless driving case where the carelessness was slight but the outcome was massive," said Judge Brooke Gibson, according to Fairfax Media.

At Auckland District Court, Houseman pleaded guilty to seven counts of careless driving causing injury or death.

The victims were Austin Brashears, of Huntington Beach, Calif.; Daniela Lekhno, of Manalapan, N.J.; and Roch Jauberty, of Paris.

-- Staff and wire reports