Tammy Marie Andrews in court for causing horror Bruce Hwy crash

A woman has broken down as dashcam footage was played to a court of the moment she veered into the wrong lane of the Bruce Hwy near Gunalda and caused a crash that left a man with a permanent brain injury.

Tammy Marie Andrews, 35, faced Gympie Magistrates Court Tuesday morning in the wake of the horrific crash at Gunalda in the afternoon of February 24, 2023.

A Glenwood mother broke down as the lapse in judgement which led to a horror crash on the Bruce Highway north of Gympie was played out in court.

Tammy Marie Andrews, 35, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court on Tuesday, September 5, to driving without due care attention and to driving with marijuana in her system when she crossed double lines on the highway at Gunalda on February 24, clipped a truck and crashed into a car, seriously injuring its occupants.

Police prosecutor Christie Mahoney told the court the driver of a red Corolla was left with a “permanent traumatic brain injury” as a result of the crash.

His passenger was flown to hospital with significant injuries, including internal bleeding and a fractured sternum.

Both men had to be cut free from the wreckage.

Two men had to be cut free from their wrecked car after the crash on the Bruce Hwy at Gunalda, on February 24, 2023. Gympie Magistrates Court heard one of the men suffered a “permanent traumatic brain injury” as a result.

Footage from that afternoon, captured by the truck’s dashcam, showed the moment Andrews’ car veered across the lines while travelling along the Bruce Hwy about 5.30pm.

In the footage, the car appears to try to correct into the left hand lane shortly before impact with the truck, clipping its side and sending debris spraying across the road.

The court heard this impact with the truck contributed to Andrews’ car then colliding with the Corolla travelling behind the prime mover.

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Defence lawyer Chris Anderson told the court his client had been doing a “significant” number of hours working in “challenging conditions” as a cleaner in the three months before the crash.

Andrews had been using marijuana to relax, Mr Anderson said, and she was remorseful for what had happened.

The court heard the 35-year-old had no criminal history, and the only blemish on her traffic record was a speeding fine which happened after the crash.

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Tammy Marie Andrews, 35, pleaded guilty to driving without due care causing grievous bodily harm, and driving with a relevant drug in her system.

Andrews cried as she was sentenced by Magistrate Bevan Hughes, who told her “no sentence” he imposed “could mitigate the ongoing pain you will feel”.

“I know you will feel this for the rest of your life,” Mr Hughes said.

“This is a very sad case.”

Mr Hughes said her “one momentary lapse” had “permanent and devastating consequences”.

Her crossing of the double lines was “low level dangerous driving” as such she “could not have been paying proper attention” while behind the wheel, he said.

Mr Hughes accepted Andrews’ guilty pleas to driving without due care causing grievous bodily harm, and driving with a relevant drug in her system.

He sentenced her to three months’ jail, wholly suspended for one year, and disqualified her from driving for nine months.