Court hears boy, 17, caught speeding months after charge over crash involving Paxton Zocaro-Retamal

A 17-year-old boy charged over a horror crash which left his friend fighting for life in hospital was slapped with a speeding fine just months later, a court has heard.

Paxton Zocaro-Retamal was not expected to survive a car crash at Goonda in August. Picture: Supplied

A 17-year-old boy charged over a horror crash that left his friend fighting for life in hospital was slapped with a speeding fine just months later, a court has heard.

Paxton Zocaro-Retamal, now 18, suffered a traumatic brain injury when the Toyota LandCruiser he was travelling in crashed on an Ipswich “Macca’s run” after a barbecue with friends.

Paxton was propelled from the vehicle after it slammed into a paperbark tree on a median strip on Whitmore Crescent, Goodna, about 8.30pm on August 2, 2024.

Paxton, who was in the back seat of the LandCruiser, was critically injured, while the driver and front seat passenger – both aged 17 – sustained minor injuries.

Three other passengers – boys aged 16 or 17 – were also treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The driver – a 17-year-old Kallangur boy – has since been charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death or grievous bodily harm whilst adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, driving under the influence and driving while relevant drug is present in blood or saliva.

Paxton Zocaro-Retamal on his road to recovery.

The 17-year-old’s matter was briefly mentioned in Ipswich Children’s Court on Tuesday morning.

Magistrate Jason Schubert adjourned the matter to April 7 with a brief of evidence ordered by March 25.

The court heard the 17-year-old had one page of traffic history with his latest infringement – exceeding the speed limit less than 11 kilometres – recorded in December of 2024, just months after the Goodna crash.

The 17-year-old has also been fined for: learner failed to display L-plates and drive not under supervision, the court heard.

No pleas have been entered.

Paxton’s mother, Natalie Zocaro, told The Courier-Mail in December last year that despite initially being told by doctors to “prepare for the worst” her “superhero” had defied the odds and had recently graduated Year 12.

Ms Zocaro recounted the moment she received the phone call from Paxton’s dad, Pedro Retamal, telling her their son had been in an accident.

On her way to meet with Mr Retamal she came across the crash scene.

“A police officer saw me running towards the ambulance and asked me who I was, I said that I was Paxton’s mum … He said ‘you can’t see your son at the moment, we’re taking him to the hospital, get to the hospital’,” she said.

“Obviously being told I couldn’t see my son, I’ve collapsed … I was quite hysterical.”

Under a police escort Ms Zocaro arrived at the PA hospital before the ambulance.

Then Paxton arrived.

“CPR was being performed on (Paxton) as he was wheeled past (me) … all I was hearing was ‘brain injury’, hearing they didn’t know if he was going to wake up, didn’t know if he’d had a stroke,” she said.

Ms Zocaro said Paxton was recently moved from the PA Hospital’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU) to the Jasmine Unit at Wynnum, where he will continue to receive treatment until at least May.

Investigations into the crash remain ongoing.