Carla Anne Lutgenau jailed over fatal Imbil crash that killed Kathleen Dennis
A Gympie court has jailed a driver for four years over a fatal crash that devastated a well known family of nine, leaving the victim's husband saying "I don't know who I am anymore".
The woman who killed Mary Valley mother-of-seven Kathleen Dennis in a horror 2022 head-on had spent time in jail for shooting her brother during a 72-hour meth binge.
Carla Anne Lutgenau, 45, was found guilty Monday afternoon of dangerous driving causing death and grievous bodily harm, following a four-day trial in the Gympie District Court.
She was acquitted of being adversely affected by meth at the time of the crash, when tests found traces of the drug in her blood.
The jury deliberated for about three hours before returning its verdict.
On Tuesday, family and friends filled the public gallery once more as Lutgenau was jailed over the crash, which occurred on Kandanga Imbil Rd at Imbil road on the afternoon of September 28, 2022.
The court had heard in the trial about 4.15pm that day, Ms Lutgenau’s Toyota LandCruiser and Mrs Dennis’s Toyota Corolla collided near a bend.
Mrs Dennis, 56, died at the scene.
A passenger in her car who was a 17-year-old child at the time and therefore cannot be identified under Queensland laws suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to hospital in Brisbane for further treatment.
Mrs Dennis’s husband Stephen, reading his victim impact statement aloud to the court while a photo of Mrs Dennis was displayed on the courtroom wall, expressed his heartbreak at the loss of his “beautiful, kind” wife.
He said her death “destroyed my life”.
“I don’t know who I am anymore,” he said, telling the court the moments when he was forced to phone his children and tell them of their mother’s death was “etched” into his mind.
Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks told the court Lutgenau’s criminal record included entries for drug-related offences, and a serious offence in which she injured her brother after going on a 72-hour meth binge.
The court heard she fired a shotgun at him, causing him serious abdominal injuries.
She was found guilty of an act intending to disable and jailed for six years, with parole eligibility after two had been served.
Several members of Mrs Dennis’ family submitted impact statements to the court, which was forced to take a break when police prosecutor Rebecca Marks broke down while reading the heartbreaking victim impact statement of Ms Dennis’s passenger.
They said in their statement their life had been irrevocably changed by the serious injuries suffered in the crash which left them hating their life, socially isolated and with suicidal thoughts.
The court heard the passenger suffered “significant” brain damage from the crash, requiring three months’ rehabilitation to learn to walk, talk, and swallow again.
Defence barrister Nathan Turner said Lutgenau had not driven since the crash, as her licence was suspended.
She had previously worked in retail, child care, insurance, and hospitality, the court heard.
At age 24 she was diagnosed with ADHD, and at 35 she was given a preliminary diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Mr Turner said his client was now working as an apprentice hairdresser, with one year left to go.
Lutgenau submitted her own letter to the court, expressing regret over the crash, but Judge Glen Cash noted this was not the same as her being remorseful.
Judge Cash told Lutgenau her actions had left “a hole in (the Dennis family’s) lives that can never be filled” and it was impossible for any sentence he handed down to put things right.
He said her driving record was “minor” but the fact she had been caught six months earlier sideswiping a car after changing lanes without indicating was a concern.
Judge Cash said she was “grossly and culpably inattentive” behind the wheel when she failed to take the bend and struck Mrs Dennis’ Corolla. He sentenced her to four years’ jail, to be suspended for five years after two years was served, and disqualified her from driving for three years.
Ms Marks said at the trial that Lutgenau “failed to take the bend” while she was driving north, crossing into the southbound lane and colliding head-on with Mrs Dennis’s Corolla.
The public gallery was packed throughout the trial and on the day of sentencing by friends and family of the Dennis family.
