Cameron Robert Goode jailed for crash that killed great-grandmother

A learner driver has shared her heartache after not being able to avoid a Noosa real estate identity who killed her great-grandmother when he drunkenly hit their car head-on.

A 16-year-old learner driver has fought back tears as she shared her heartache after a drunk Noosa real estate identity swerved onto the wrong side of the road and killed her great-grandmother.

The girl, now 17, was driving her mother and great-grandmother along Noosa-Cooroy Rd on October 4, 2020 when Cameron Robert Goode swerved onto the wrong side of the road and collided with their car head-on.

The great-grandmother tragically died a day later on October 5.

Goode was sentenced to six years’ prison in Maroochydore District Court on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a car causing death while adversely affected by intoxicating substances, driving under the influence and driving without a licence.

The then learner driver fought back tears to bravely deliver her victim impact statement to Goode and the court.

“Not only have I had to deal with the grief of losing my Nan and the fact that I will never be able to hug or hear her laugh again, but I also have to deal with the trauma of being the driver and experience the aftermath of the accident,” she said.

She read notes from after her psychologist sessions that expressed her guilt, shame, pain, sorrow and anger and said she suffered vivid flashbacks.

“I’m feeling guilty with how I reacted, I should have pulled to the side of the road and Nan would still be here,” she read from her notes.

The girl said she couldn’t sit in a car without breaking down for a long time after the crash and said the accident had stolen her teenage years.

“I don’t want to feel sad anymore because it’s exhausting … I feel like I’m doing well and then I just crumble …,” she said.

The girl’s mother also suffered fractures in her spine and lacerations to her liver.

Crown Prosecutor Sam Bain told the court Goode was grossly intoxicated when he drove 30km from Boreen Point before the crash at Lake Macdonald.

Ms Bain said Goode blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.222 two and a half hours after the crash and was found to have MDMA and Cocaine in his system.

He described the 46-year-old as an “imminent danger” to all road users and said he displayed a lack of immediate remorse.

The court heard Goode was seen urinating on the side of the road after the accident and told police and witnesses an Irish man, who he had meet at a polo event earlier in the evening, was driving the car at the time of the crash.

Mr Bain suggested a prison sentence between six and seven years with a parole eligibility date after serving one-third as an appropriate punishment.

He said the offences carried a mandatory 18-month disqualification period, but said Judge Glen Cash could extend the order.

Goode’s barrister Bernard Reilly said his client who worked in real estate up until the accident developed a drinking problem at a young age that escalated when his marriage broke down in 2019.

Mr Reilly said the father-of two’s use of drugs also worsened when his children moved to Western Australia with their mother.

“My client’s life had reached a point where he was drinking far too much for his own good,” he said.

“He was a disaster waiting to happen and unfortunately it happened on this roadway that night.”

He said Goode, who was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the crash, had taken part in residential rehabilitation, drug and alcohol therapy and was considered a low risk of reoffending in a psychologist’s report.

Mr Reilly said the tragic crash caused Goode to rethink his life.

“It is to his great regret that this occurred,” he said.

“He knows of the grief and the pain he has caused to the family of the deceased and he also knows the disappointment and the heartache caused to his own family.”

Cameron Robert Goode was sentenced to six years’ prison in Maroochydore District Court on Tuesday. Picture: Social media.

The court heard Goode was remorseful for his actions and had written an apology letter to the family.

He had a limited criminal and traffic history that included a previous 2010 driving under the influence offence.

Mr Reilly said Goode’s genuine remorse and early plea of guilty would allow Mr Cash to order a parole eligibility date before he served one-third of the sentence.

Mr Cash said Goode’s decision to drive while drunk and with drugs in his system had “catastrophic” impacts.

“It is of course to be remembered that (the deceased) is more than a name read out in court, she had a large family who quite obviously loved her and who grieved at her loss,” he said.

“There is nothing I can do today which would lessen the pain they feel and there is no sentence I could impose that is a balance or compensation for the consequences of her loss.”

Goode was given a parole eligibility date of June 7, 2023 a date shared by the deceased's birthday.

He was disqualified from driving for three years.