Lee-Anne Mills, 74, pleads guilty to driving into Coles supermarket, Ballina

A Northern Rivers woman ploughed her car through plate glass doors into a packed Coles supermarket – all the way to the self-checkout section. Here’s the reason she gave in court.

A car ploughed into the front of Ballina Coles in northern NSW on September 19 2023. Picture: Supplied

An East Ballina woman has faced court after ploughing her car through plate glass doors into a check-out section of a packed North Coast Coles supermarket.

Lee-Anne Mills, 74, pleaded guilty on Thursday to negligent driving, without causing death or grievous bodily harm.

Agreed police facts tendered to Ballina Local Court state Mills had exited the Coles Ballina supermarket on Kerr and Fox St about 11am on September 19.

She hopped into her parked Toyota Corolla in the car park and drove past the Coles entrance towards the exit, police documents state.

Mills then unexpectedly “harshly accelerated”, “mounted the gutter” and “collided” with the Coles entrance doors, police facts state.

Broken glass is strewn outside the Ballina Coles after a car ploughed through the storefront on September 19 2023. Picture: Gianni Francis

Mills drove through the doors while a victim, leaving the self-checkout area, was lifted off her feet and sent forward.

“This caused immediate lacerations to her body due to the shattering of the glass doors,” police state.

“Mills continued accelerating, crashing through the self-checkout and damaging kiosks.”

Victims had to take immediate evasive actions to avoid getting hurt.

The car collided with another person, who was trying to get out of the way.

“He was knocked to the ground and began using a leg to push against the front of the car to prevent himself from going under the vehicle,” court documents state.

“Mills stopped just past the self-checkout area, due to extensive tyre damage and suspected engine failure as smoke began coming to the engine.”

The wild incident happened at Ballina Coles in northern NSW on September 19 2023. Picture: Supplied

One of the victims had a 15mm cut on his shin from the glass.

Coles staff used first aid kits on the injured victims and evacuated the store – which had more than 100 people in it at the time, police facts state.

Multiple triple-0 calls were made to police prompting a multi-action response with ambulances and firefighters also arriving at the scene.

Officers approached Mills who was standing outside of her car uninjured.

She was arrested and questioned at the scene about the crash.

“I don’t know if my foot slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator,” Mills told police.

“Next minute I could see in slow motion … we were hitting the kerb, bounced up on the kerb and then my foot must have been on the accelerator because next minute we’re coming in the store.”

She told police she didn’t have any medical conditions.

Police tried to speak to the passenger in the car but were told he was medically blind.

The victims were sent to Ballina District Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police facts state.

Police then officially unarrested her and she was taken to Ballina Base Hospital as a precaution.

There have been no permanent injuries for victims but it has caused ongoing stress, police documents state.

Officers state Mills had no criminal history and believe she was in significant control of her actions at the time of the incident.

“Police could not detect anything … preventing the woman from pressing the brakes to stop the incident.”

Mills licence has been suspended and police questioned her fitness to drive.

Magistrate Kathy Crittenden sentenced Mills to a 12-month conditional release order. A conviction has been recorded.

Transport NSW states when a driver is at more than 75 years old they need a medical assessment and an older driver assessment to renew their licence, but a doctor recommends an earlier age to have the assessment.