Port River Expressway crash accused Carlie Eileen Richards identified
The first pictures of the woman accused of the heartbreaking fatal highway crash at Gillman have emerged as it is revealed the smash occurred just five minutes from her home.
SA News
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The identity of the woman alleged to have caused yesterday’s nightmare crash on the Port River Expressway has been revealed.
Carlie Eileen Richards, 38, yesterday did not appear in court with her hearing instead taking place by her Queen Elizabeth Hospital bedside.
Court documents have shown the crash occurred about five minutes away from Ms Richards’s home.
She did not speak during the hearing, and the matter was called upon at the 11th hour after it was suggested she may have been too unwell to front court on Wednesday at all.
The matter was eventually called on as a duty solicitor asked Magistrate Paul Bennett for Ms Richards to be detained under section 269x of the criminal law act.
This form of detention is ordered when there are investigations to be conducted into a defendant’s mental competence.
The court heard Ms Richards was too mentally unwell to face court.
Her duty solicitor, Tyson Leung, told the court the 269x order would likely pre-empt an eventual application for bail which would likely be made in two weeks.
Police say Ms Richards caused the death of 26-year-old Erica Hoy by driving dangerously.
They also alleged she caused the serious injury, also by driving dangerously, of Ms Hoy’s twin sister Lisa, boyfriend Mike Reader, 29, and another driver, Klio Bruckner.
Police further allege Ms Richards attempted to flee the scene of the crash before then refusing to give them her name or tell them she was driving.
In total Ms Richards was charged with one count of causing death by dangerous driving, three of causing serious harm by dangerous driving, two of driving without due care and one each of leaving an accident scene after causing death, failing to answer question about the identity or owner of a vehicle, refusing name and address and hinder or resist police.
Ms Richards was taken to hospital following the crash to have tests done to check if there were any drugs or alcohol in her system, which the Advertiser understands were not present.
It is understood she was then taken into custody for a short time, before being taken back to hospital.
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Originally published as Port River Expressway crash accused Carlie Eileen Richards identified
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