Brisbane hospital staffer ordered off the roads after brutal Bruce Hwy crash

A staffer at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital has been sentenced over a crash that sent a motorcyclist flying 20m through the air, causing serious injuries.

A Brisbane hospital staffer has been fined $2000 and disqualified from driving for nine months after he cut in front of a motorcyclist on the Bruce Hwy, causing the rider to crash and “catapult 20 metres through the air” onto a median strip.

The victim, Marcus Randall, had been travelling at around 100km/hr on the right-hand lane when the driver, Christopher Daryl Baker, swerved from the middle lane to drive in front of him without warning.

Baker, a wardsman at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, pleaded guilty at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Monday to one charge of driving without due care and attention causing death or grievous bodily harm, and one charge of driving while a relevant drug was present.

The court heard Baker “panicked” when the fuel light turned on, as his old car has a history of conking out with just a moment’s warning.

His lawyer told the court Baker wanted to get off the highway fast and in his haste failed to see the motorbike travelling in the lane beside him.

“That is the most bizarre explanation I’ve heard in a long while,” said Magistrate Trevor Morgan.

“That’s crazy.”

The victim suffered significant injuries when he slammed into Baker’s car, with several witnesses telling police the man flew about two metres up into the air while surrounding traffic “took action to avoid colliding” with both the man and the car.

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Mr Randall required four separate surgeries over the month of October to deal with painful compartment syndrome, bone fractures, broken bones and necessary skin grafting.

A certificate of analysis tendered to the court showed Baker had a small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or cannabis, in his system at the time of the crash, though not enough to significantly impair his judgment.

Mr Morgan described Baker’s driving as “alarming” and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a license for nine months.

Baker was fined $2000.