A young student killed in a crash at the weekend had her heart set on a big law career and was eager to get back to the University of Otago and start her second semester classes.

Tessa Elizabeth Macintosh Sheild, 20, was critically injured in the accident on State Highway 1 near Moeraki Boulders at 4.20pm on Sunday.

The Marlborough woman was rushed to Dunedin Hospital but died from her severe injuries on Tuesday morning.

Sheild was studying law and worked at Liquorland Leith Street part-time for about two and a half years.

“She was an intelligent girl. She was driven. She was an aspiring lawyer and she was more than actively involved in all the law groups… She set herself some pretty high goals,” said general manager Donna Hogg.

“We’d have really honest conversations about where she wanted to be, what she wanted to do. She was super chatty, vivacious and made really good friend connections within our team – we have these kids working here for three or four years, so they’re pretty tight-knit.

“She was a force to be reckoned with – she was more involved in any group than she needed to be involved in, and she was a big sister to lots of younger staff.”

Tessa Sheild worked part-time at Liquorland Leith Street in Dunedin and had made good friends within the team. Photo / Supplied

Hogg said Sheild had been home with her family for the university holidays and had been driving back to Dunedin before Monday’s new term when she crashed.

She had heard there’d been an accident and thought, “Jesus Christ, I hope it’s not one of my kids”. Her worst fear was confirmed in an early morning call on Monday.

“It’s still pretty raw… she was a good kid, she was going places… she was too young, it was too soon,” said Hogg.

“As soon as I found out, the question was, right, where’s the family? Are they here? What state is she in? I went to the hospital and caught up with her mother… gave her a big old hug.

“It was a pretty big crash… very big… she was critical and by God that emergency department at Dunedin Hospital worked like donkeys to try and revive her.”

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash but Hogg said the early indication was that Sheild was fatigued.

“She was just so keen to get back to uni… in a bit of a hurry maybe… I think that’s what they’ve put it down to. But, that aside, it’s just super sad… a very good kid’s life cut short.”

Hogg said her staff, and many others Sheild knew at university and beyond, were grieving.

“She was a great friend to many,” she said.

“She was full of beans, full of life, full of energy and heading places… There are lots of people reeling… It’s a very, very sad loss.”

Tessa Sheild was a law student at the University of Otago. Photo / RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Liquorland is offering counselling to all staff who knew Sheild and Hogg and other managers were keeping a close eye on their team.

“This is just something that you do when people are grieving,” she said.

“Kids these days don’t know how to grieve, they don’t experience loss… in this job you become a mum to so many kids, you just make yourself an extension of their family as best you can and if they need us, we’re here.

“I’ve had many phone calls with the ones that I know that were super tight with her, lots of hugs and lots of offers of support.

“Tessa will certainly be remembered for a very, very long time. Everyone here is hurting, everyone’s grieving, but by Christ… her family…. That family now have a massive void, and how do you fill that?”

Hogg said Sheild’s death was a double blow for many young people in Dunedin.

“A few of the kids that knew Tessa also knew the poor wee boy Jock who passed away in Stewart Island on that hunting trip. So there are a couple of tragedies in a week – that’s a lot to contend with.

Jock Davies, 21, was fatally shot on a hunting trip to Rakiura Stewart Island on July 5.

The Tapanui local was with a hunting party of nine that included his father and brother when he was killed on the South Lords River hunting block.

“This grieving process will take some of them a lot longer,” said Hogg.

“It’s a super tough time…. But we are there for them, and they know that and that’s all we can really do.”

Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 19 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz