Shane Crofts sentenced in Beenleigh court for tragic car crash that killed Aaron Young

The tragic scenes which played out after a truck driver fatally struck a pedestrian along a quiet street in Beenleigh have been revealed at his sentencing in court.

A father will spend four months in jail after pleading guilty to driving dangerously along a quiet street at Beenleigh and causing the death of much-loved Aaron Young.

Shane Steven Crofts, 49, of Helensvale stood in a courtroom dock in Beenleigh District Court on Friday, July 29 and pleaded guilty to one charge of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

The court heard Crofts was driving a rented Isuzu truck on May 16, 2020 when he turned into Sunrise St at Beenleigh, about 10.45am.

Crown prosecutor Michael Gawrych said he was following a car driven by his nephew, who observed a “heavy-set” man – Mr Young, aged 30 – some 130m in front of him securing a car to a trailer which was attached to a ute.

Crofts’ nephew drove in the centre of the road to ensure there was sufficient room between him and Mr Young.

The Gold Coast man was travelling a short distance – about “three-car lengths” – behind his nephew when he struck the rear of the trailer, pushing it forward 2m.

Mr Young, who had been standing between the trailer and the Ute, suffered a number of serious injuries as a result of the collision.

The court heard Crofts quickly pulled his truck over, swearing and shouting: “There was a guy, there was a guy!”

He stood beside the truck for a short while before sitting on the footpath.

Several people rushed to the scene of the crash, with two men removing their shirts and wrapping them around Mr Young’s head to try and stop his bleeding.

An ambulance was called and arrived shortly thereafter, but it was too late. Mr Young was declared dead at the scene about 11am.

Mr Gawrych noted forensic crash investigators’ analysis of the site revealed there were no issues with the road, there was no evidence of braking, and the weather conditions were “fine” on the day in question.

He said Crofts’ conduct was both “egregious” and “dangerous”, having tragic but “not unavoidable” consequences for many people.

The court heard the 49-year-old had “blemished” criminal and traffic histories featuring a number of dated driving offences.

The defence, led by barrister Tim Ryan, asked Judge Craig Chowdhury to consider the “profound remorse” his client had shown and that there was no suggestion of excessive speed, alcohol, drugs, or fatigue playing any role in the offending.

Mr Ryan said Mr Young’s tragic death resulted from Crofts failing to keep a “proper lookout” for people or other potential hazards while driving.

Given there were no witnesses and Crofts’ own memories of the incident were limited, Mr Ryan said the moments preceding the collision had to be ‘pieced together’ by the relevant authorities.

He told the court Crofts’ nephew observed his uncle moments after the collision “absolutely beside himself”, clutching his head and hair and mumbling things that did not make sense.

Mr Ryan said his client had seen the trailer but did not register there was a person standing by it until the “very last minute”.

Mr Chowdhury accepted Crofts’ plea of guilty and that he clearly had no intention of hitting the trailer or harming Mr Young, raising also there was “no rational reason” why he would not have been able to see him.

“There’s simply no reason why you shouldn’t have seen Mr Young and the trailer and the car parked on the side of the road,” he said.

“You had plenty of time and plenty of distance, the conditions were good. So it is just absolutely tragic.”

He said the case was “distressing” and “tragic” and he had no doubt Crofts was remorseful.

Crofts was ultimately sentenced to 2.5 years’ imprisonment to be suspended after serving four months for an operational period of three years.

He was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years.