Aaron McBride fronts court over Christmas Eve crash in Clifton Springs

Police say a father was speeding and on drugs when he caused a crash that left a 17-year-old girl in hospital. The man’s lawyer says they can’t prove it.

The mangled Subaru Forester following the crash on Boonderabbi Drive in Clifton Springs on December 24, 2023.

A father is fighting allegations he was speeding and under the influence of drugs before a Christmas Eve crash that left a girl with a fractured spine and pieces of glass in her face.

Aaron McBride, 43, fronted Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday via videolink for a contest mention hearing.

Mr McBride faces seven charges, including recklessly causing serious injury, over the December 24, 2023, crash on Boonderabbi Drive in Clifton Springs.

Police prosecutor leading senior constable David Vanderpol told the court that Mr McBride and his alleged victims were at a family gathering at his ex-partner’s home in Clifton Springs.

After 8pm, the victims climbed into Mr McBride’s Subaru Forester.

Mr McBride allegedly “accelerated heavily” and drove west, mounting the guard and colliding heavily with a tree.

Mr McBride allegedly fled the scene on foot, without assisting victims – who were rushed to hospital by ambulances.

As a result of the accident, Mr McBride’s 17-year-old female passenger had fractures to her L2 and L3 vertebrae, collarbone, first rib and a bone in her right foot.

The court heard she had to have glass shards surgically removed from her face and spent six weeks in a wheelchair followed by six weeks in a moon boot during up to a year spent in rehabilitation.

Mr McBride was arrested on January 5, too late for testing to ascertain if he was under the influence of any substances.

Sergeant Vanderpol told the court the conditions on the night included “misty rain” and it was dark and wet, but there was “adequate street lighting”.

The court heard several witnesses had described Mr McBride as drug-affected prior to the crash and the allegation he had been speeding was based on another witness statement.

Mr McBride’s lawyer, Caitlin Reed, told the court the prosecution could not establish the charge of recklessly causing serious injury was met, nor could police prove Mr McBride was speeding.

“They’ve brought nothing in our view, to prove those points,” Ms Reed said, noting there was no expert report indicating what speed Mr McBride had been travelling and that the “suggestion” he was drug-affected was based solely on witness statements.

Leading senior constable Vanderpol cited several statements that described Mr McBride’s demeanour on the night.

One witness stating he was “acting weird” and may have consumed drugs, while another stated Mr McBride was “fidgety” and “kept talking about cocaine”.

Leading senior constable Vanderpol said “even a lay person” could see it was a high-speed impact, just from the photographs.

“I don’t see there’s any other explanation as to the damage incurred to the car,” he said.

He cited another statement, from a witness who had parked behind Mr McBride’s car and reversed out of the driveway shortly before him, who said Mr McBride “skidded out really fast” and “sped off down the road” at least 100km/h.

Magistrate Kimberley Swadesir told the court that she agreed with the defence, in that the prosecution would have difficulty proving some of the charges.

The matter was adjourned to August 5 for a further contest mention.

Originally published as Aaron McBride fronts court over Christmas Eve crash in Clifton Springs