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March 30th, 2013 
TEENAGER Dylan Poulton’s short life has come to a devastating end after becoming the latest road fatality during a tragic Easter long weekend.
Dylan, 17, of Tarlee died just before midnight when a car carrying him and four other teenagers crashed into a tree on an unsealed road near Balaklava.
SA Road Deaths 2013 Chart below
The female driver, also 17, is facing several charges for driving the car without a licence.
Police said Dylan, of Tarlee, was not wearing a seatbelt and was sitting in the back of the car.
They also said the three other passengers – girls aged between 14 and 17 – sustained mainly minor injuries, but one also suffered a fractured jaw.
A Mallala girl, 14, was airlifted to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, an Evanston Gardens girl, 16, was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and another girl, 17, of Owen, was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital.
The car – which hit a tree after moving to the wrong side of the road and mounting an embankment – crashed on the Rocks Rd near Balaklava.
Balaklava crash victim Dylan Poulton, 17, with friend Larissa Barefield.
Larissa Barefield, 16, a close friend of Dylan said one of the passengers was his girlfriend.
She said Dylan had left behind three siblings – an older brother and younger brother and sister – and had moved to Tarlee with his mother and step-father about four years ago.
“He lived around the corner from me, we talked a lot and became best friends,” she said.
“He’d do anything for his friends and family (he was) a really special person.”
She said he wanted to eventually become a mechanic or pursue another trade.
Another friend said Dylan was a “good, young lad” who helped everyone out.
“He will be missed by lots of people,” she said.
Traffic Support Branch Detective Inspector Peter Duance said the crash happened because of “two poor decisions” – the girl driving without a licence and the victim not wearing a seatbelt.
“This is a case of an untrained driver not being able to drive on an unsealed road,” he said.
“First of all, it’s devastating for the South Australian community, particularly during Easter which is a time of celebration, and now it’s a time of tragedy for several families.
“The majority of South Australian motorists do the right thing – this is an occasion where two people haven’t done the right thing.
“It’s just unsafe behaviour by young people who were not thinking about the consequences.”
It is the third death on the state’s roads this Easter after a double fatal crash at Ki Ki yesterday morning.
Dylan’s death takes the state’s annual road toll to 32, compared to 25 at the same time last year.
One person died during the Easter period in 2012.
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