Joel Victor Hormaechea jailed causing head-on crash on Bruce Hwy at Curra

A FIFO security guard high on a cocktail of meth and morphine has been punished for causing the devastating collison on the Bruce Hwy that left another driver in a coma for weeks and with brain injuries.

Joel Victor Hormaechea, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm whilst affected by an intoxicating substance.

A former concreter high on a cocktail of drugs was driving a Jeep that crossed the centre line on the Bruce Highway at Curra in March 2024, and collided head-on with an oncoming Landcruiser.

The crash left the driver of the Landcruiser, Jarrod Gilbert, with multiple serious injuries including a brain injury.

He was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital where he remained in a coma in Intensive Care for a month, before undergoing rehabilitation for his brain injury in Melbourne.

Joel Victor Hormaechea, 40, of Toogoom, was driving south to Nambour on March 20, 2024. His injuries were far less severe.

Bystanders who saw the collision north of Gympie tried to help the two men, with Mr Gilbert found slumped over his steering wheel, Crown prosecutor Kate Droney told Maryborough District Court on Thursday.

Mr Gilbert was airlifted with injuries that included four hemorrhages, a laryngeal fracture, 15 missing teeth, multiple facial fractures, a spinal fractures, and a broken leg.

He remained in intensive care until April 15, 2024 when he was transferred to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne for brain injury rehabilitation.

Hormarchea was taken to Gympie Hospital, where a blood test conducted on him hours later found methylamphetamine, ondansetron and morphine in his system.

Joel Victor Hormaechea, 40, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm whilst affected by an intoxicating substance.

Defence barrister Ed Whitton said Hormaechea had “very little recollection” from the accident when he woke up in hospital.

Mr Whitton relayed what Hormaechea said to him in a conference, telling the court: “If he had really perceived himself to be severely intoxicated, he wouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel”.

A concreter by trade with a Diploma of Management, Hormaechea said he fell into drugs when he became a FIFO security guard, taking illicit substances to stay awake.

He was on parole at the time of the crash after being sentenced to three years jail in the Cairns Supreme Court for unregulated high risk activity and possessing methylamphetamine.

He pleaded guilty on Thursday to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm whilst affected by an intoxicating substance.

Judge Nathan Jarro sentenced him to three and a half years jail with a parole eligibility date set at July 20, 2025, after spending 111 days in custody.

His licence was disqualified for four years.