‘Unaffected, uncaring, unremorseful’: Teen in freak wheel accident in court

Police allege the teenage driver of a ute from which a tyre came loose and struck a five-year-old did not try to help the boy.

The driver of a car who allegedly conducted a burnout at Caboolture that left a five-year-old child fighting for his life has been identified as 18-year-old Blake Davey-Jennings.

Police will allege Davey-Jennings was driving a blue Ford Falcon, stopped at a set of traffic lights when he began to spin its wheels, performing a burnout.

Blake Davey-Jennings remains in custody until his bail application hearing tomorrow.

When the lights turned green Davey-Jennings allegedly accelerated, causing the wheel to violently lurch from the rear passenger side of the vehicle and fly out, onto the child.

The child was walking with family on the footpath outside of the Caboolture Square Shopping Centre at around 4.30pm on Wednesday when he was struck down by the tyre.

Blake Davey-Jennings remains in custody until his bail application hearing tomorrow.

He suffered internal injuries so severe that he had to be revived at the scene, according to the police prosecutor at the bail application hearing at Caboolture Magistrates Court today.

“If not for the fast response of the ambulance workers he would have been dead,” she told the court.

The boy remains at the Queensland Children’s Hospital with significant and serious injuries.

The prosecutor told the court Davey-Jennings stopped his car and walked over to the victim, not to help but rather to collect his tyre.

“He showed no remorse, he seemed completely unaffected by the incident,” she said.

“He seems to have no regard whatsoever for the community.”

The ute from which a wheel came loose and struck a five-year-old boy. Picture: Josh Woning

Davey-Jennings has been charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm, driving unlicensed (disqualified by court order), driving unregistered, driving a safe but otherwise defective vehicle, and offences involving registration certificates.

He appeared via videolink from the Pine Rivers watch house at the Caboolture Magistrates Court, where he applied for bail.

Police at the scene of the freak accident. Picture: Josh Woning

The lawyer for the defence told the court Davey-Jennings had been in a state of shock at the scene and had attempted to help the only way he knew how, by removing the debris to enable emergency services greater access to the boy.

He noted Davey-Jennings stayed at the scene for 15 minutes, did not know first aid or CPR and was in a state of shock, having only checked the tyres the Sunday prior.

A boy suffered critical injuries in the freak accident. Picture: Josh Woning

The court heard Davey-Jennings had recently moved to Queensland and worked full time as a carpet layer.

Davey-Jennings was remanded in custody until tomorrow, when the Magistrate will review his living conditions to assess whether he is suitable for bail.

The five-year-old boy has since been placed in an induced coma suffering from serious internal injuries.

Burpengary Forensic crash unit Sergeant Greg Price said the boy’s family was incredibly traumatised by the incident.