Geelong Cats’ Tom Atkins gets diversion in court for Wallington crash
A Cats star must apologise and fork out thousands of dollars after causing a three-car crash, with one victim detailing her ongoing suffering in court. WATCH THE VIDEO
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Shocking new images have revealed the extent of a three-car crash Cats star Tom Atkins caused as he was looking for his ID.
Atkins must apologise and fork out thousands of dollars after the incident, that left one woman suffering ongoing physical and emotional pain.
The 29-year-old fronted the Geelong Magistrates Court for the first time on Wednesday facing charges of careless driving and failing to keep left of a dividing line.
Court documents, released to the Geelong Advertiser, state Atkins was travelling south on Grubb Rd in Wallington about 7.30pm on August 9 last year.
According to the police summary, after taking his eyes off the road, Atkins veered across into the northbound lane and collided with the front driver’s side of an oncoming ute driven by a woman travelling with her daughter.
The crash caused the ute to lose control and veer into the southbound lane, where it collided with a blue Ford Focus that had been travelling behind Atkins.
“My bag’s behind me in the middle console,” Atkins told an officer at the scene, court documents state.
“I’ve reached in, I was going to check that I brought something home from the club, my ID, and the next thing I know head-on.”
The occupants of the cars were taken to hospital, but did not sustain any serious injuries.
The Holden ute was written off, while the blue Ford Focus also sustained significant damage.
Atkins must write two letters of apology to others caught in the crash and pay one of them more than $8000.
The midfielder did not comment when approached by the Geelong Advertiser outside of court.
Atkins accepted responsibility for the crash, but won’t face a criminal record after Magistrate Ann McGarvie approved him for a diversion.
The star Cat was represented by top silk Dermot Dann KC.
Ms McGarvie said Atkins was a “suitable candidate for a diversion away from the criminal justice system”.
“(This is) given that Mr Atkins has got no priors and both of the people affected by the car accident wrote in favour of him having a diversion, as long as he learned from this event,” Ms McGarvie said.
“He certainly has, your honour,” Mr Dann told the court, noting that Atkins had pre-emptively completed one of the conditions of the diversion – a road trauma awareness course – before he had even been charged.
Mr Dann said his client had shown concern for the occupants of the other cars.
In a victim impact statement read aloud by a prosecutor, the driver of the ute described the emotional toll the crash had taken on her, including how she felt anxiety about driving, particularly at night, and experienced flashbacks.
“This incident has caused frustration and disappointment, not directed at the offender,” she wrote.
The woman said she had been forced to miss six weeks of work, still experienced regular headaches, neck pain and stiffness and found coughing and some movement difficult.
The incident also had financial and social effects, as the woman was unable to care for her parents at the same capacity as she had previously.
Ms McGarvie said she was satisfied Atkins would not be back before court for a traffic offence.
“You’re aware of the even more severe consequences that can occur due to even a moment’s inattention,” she told Atkins.
As part of the diversion, Atkins agreed to write letters of apology to both adult victims, pay $500 to the court fund and just under $8500 to one of the victims, who had a shortfall between her insurance and costs.
When asked by the Geelong Advertiser outside court if he had anything to say to the victims, Atkins declined to comment on film.
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