A TEENAGER will face charges over the fatal Cessnock crash that claimed the life of Newcastle Knights teenage outside back Elijah Faalua earlier this year.
Police confirmed charges had been laid over the April 8 incident in which emergency services were called to a private Pelaw Main road about 11.15pm.
They found a Subaru Forrester had hit a barrier.
Police said Faalua "suffered critical injuries after he was thrown from the front passenger seat and died at the scene".
The teenager was a Kurri Kurri junior who played fullback or wing in the Knights' Harold Matthews under 17s side this season,
Hunter Valley police commenced an investigation into the crash and the alleged driver, also 17, was taken to the John Hunter Hospital with minor injuries.
The driver underwent mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
Specialist crash investigators were called in as part of the probe, which led officers to arrest the alleged driver at Cessnock police station on Thursday.
The 17-year-old was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death-drive manner dangerous, negligent driving (occasioning death), drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous, negligent driving (no death or grievous bodily harm) and not keep left of dividing line-not class B/C vehicle.
He received conditional bail to face court in Kurri Kurri on September 28.
The site of the crash sparked questions in the aftermath about the type of bollards used in the area, which Cessnock mayor Bob Pynsent described as "dangerous".
