Cecilia Gai Rigby pleads guilty to role in fatal Coffs crash
A North Coast woman faces jail time after her “dangerous driving” while she was four time the legal blood alcohol limit ended in a crash that killed a woman in 2020.
Police & Courts
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A North Coast woman’s “dangerous driving” while she was more than four time the legal blood alcohol limit ended in a crash that killed a woman at Boambee in 2020.
After blowing 0.208 following the fatal crash, Cecilia Gai Rigby, 56, faced a string of charges – chief among these aggravated dangerous driving causing death that carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
But a plea deal saw these charges withdrawn at her arraignment before Lismore District Court on June 22, where the Nambucca Heads woman pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
About midday September 4 Rigby consumed “a quantity of red wine” at the Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour before getting behind the wheel of her Mazda 6 at about 6pm.
While she was driving along the Pacific Hwy back to her Nambucca Heads home, she tried to overtake a Subaru Forester before clipping it, with both cars spinning out of control at about 100km/h.
The driver of the Subaru, a 29-year-old Northern Rivers woman, escaped injury.
But Lynette Jervis, a 69-year-old Bonville woman, was not so lucky.
She was travelling in the opposite direction towards Coffs Harbour in a Nissan X-trail at about 70km when Rigby’s car crossed the median grass strip and collided with her.
“Ms Jervis tried to swerve but could not avoid colliding with the offender’s car,” agreed facts state.
The impact left both cars mangled, but Ms Jervis was able to pull herself out of the wreckage suffering from “critical injuries”.
Ms Jervis sustained a shallow sternum fracture, a fracture to her vertebrae, a fractured rib, thoracic trauma and various bruises and lacerations including a small subdural haematoma – constituting grievous bodily harm.
Five days later, Ms Jervis tragically succumbed to her injuries and died in hospital.
The offender, Rigby, sustained a fractured neck and broken left wrist in the crash requiring surgery.
It was found during mandatory testing following the crash Rigby’s blood alcohol reading was 0.208.
Rigby now faces sentencing and will appear before Judge Jonathan Priestley at Lismore District Court on September 1.
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