Christopher Alun Roberts causes catastrophic Mount Coolum crash on motorway

A Noosa region tradie has been sentenced for causing a crash which left a woman with life changing injuries preventing her from caring for her special needs child.

A Sunshine Coast court has heard how inattention by a Tewantin tradie travelling 100km/h caused a three car pileup, leaving one woman with lifelong injuries so severe she cannot care for her special needs child.

Christopher Alun Roberts, 47, had been approaching a roundabout in the wet on the Sunshine Mwy in Mt Coolum on March 28, 2022 when he changed several lives forever.

Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard due to the Tewantin man’s “lack of care” and “poor concentration”, he crashed into a stationary Toyota Tarago forcing it to collide with a Mitsubishi in the oncoming lane.

Police prosecutor David Bradley labelled the crash as “carnage”.

Senior Sergeant Bradley said Roberts never saw the stopped vehicles in the 100km/h zone leaving one woman with “life long, life changing” injuries while hurting several others.

Christopher Alun Roberts leaving Maroochydore Magistrates Court. Picture: Patrick Woods

The court heard the woman suffered a fractured humerus, clavicle, pelvis, rib, right foot and thumb as well as soft tissue damage which left her in hospital for four weeks and in a wheelchair for 13 weeks.

“She still is in considerable pain and [is] no longer able to take care of her special needs child,” Sergeant Bradley said.

The court heard the 47-year-old had been fined nine months before the crash for using his phone while driving, with Sergeant Bradley saying this infringement didn’t change Roberts’ driving behaviour.

Defence lawyer Bruce Johnston said the motorway where the crash occurred was the “worst stretch of road on the Sunshine Coast”.

Mr Johnston said his client was “human”, had no criminal history, was not exceeding the speed limit leading up to the crash and had written a letter of apology to the victim.

The scene of the serious crash along the Sunshine Mwy at Coolum Beach on March 28, 2021. Picture: Contributed

“It happened so quickly, he wished it didn’t happen,” he said.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist said plainly there was nothing wrong with the roundabout or road, it was just very busy.

“As [the victim] says, it changed her life forever,” Mr Stjernqvist said.

“He wasn’t driving to the conditions … this wasn’t a momentary lapse of concentration, this was a complete lack of concentration,” Mr Stjernqvist said.

Roberts pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention causing grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to three months’ jail, suspended for nine months.

He was then disqualified from driving for six months.

A conviction was automatically recorded.