Lan Louise Kang found guilty of lesser charge following death by dangerous driving trial

A woman who drove blind in heavy fog, blitzing through a T-junction and causing a crash that killed her sister has been found not guilty of a major charge.

A South-East woman who stood trial for the death of her adoptive sister in a horror crash has been found not guilty of a major driving charge following a nervous three-month wait.

Lan Louise Kang, 54, was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving but found guilty on the lesser charge of aggravated driving without due care.

It comes after prosecutors proceeded to trial in March after rejecting Kang’s guilty plea to the lesser charge in a failed plea bargain bid.

Under SA law, the only charge to which causing death by dangerous driving can be downgraded is an aggravated count of driving without due care.

Instead of facing a maximum 15-year prison term and mandatory minimum 10-year licence disqualification, offenders face 12 months’ jail and a six-month disqualification.

During the trial the Mount Gambier District Court heard Kang effectively drove “blind” in thick fog for roughly 21 seconds at 110km/h before the fatal crash.

In his closing submissions, prosecutor Michael Foundas said Kang did not slow down to compensate for the extremely foggy conditions.

Mr Foundas told the court that a car travelling at 110km/h will cover 30.5 metres per second.

“Between the first (warning) sign — and the last — that’s 21 seconds,” he said.

“Effectively of her driving blind down a highway with very reduced visibility.”

Lan Louise Kang who drove blind in heavy fog, blitzing through a T-junction, that led to the horror 2021 Kingston crash that claimed the life of her sister has avoided a possible 15-year jail term. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Lan Louise Kang’s sister’s life was claimed following a horror crash at Kingston. Photo Harvey Biggs / Channel 9 Adelaide

The court heard Kang was travelling at roughly 110km/h in a 60 zone in the Kingston township when her car left the road and crashed into Maria Creek on July 10, 2021.

Mr Foundas said Kang was travelling at highway speed when she “went straight through a T-junction intersection”.

Kang’s daughter Kayla Kang was sitting in the front passenger seat with Karuna Buttle seated in the back.

Ms Buttle was rendered unconscious upon impact, sustaining multiple fractures before being declared dead at the scene, the court heard.

During his opening address Kang’s defence lawyer Martin Anders told the court his client had been focused on the road while driving through the heavy intermittent fog, which had obscured the 80 and 60 km/h signs.

Mr Anders added the defendant had no knowledge that she was exceeding the speed limit or that there was an approaching T-junction, the court heard.

Kang will next front court in July for sentencing submissions.