Jaxon Lewis Levy sentenced at Lismore after horror crash

An intoxicated P-plater whose airborne crash left his passenger with lifelong injuries has learned his fate in court. Read more.

Jaxon Lewis Levy appeared before Lismore Local Court on September 5, 2022.

A Nimbin P-plater whose drunken crash left his passenger with a ruptured spleen and spinal fractures has been sentenced in Lismore Local Court.

Jaxon Lewis Levy, 20, appeared on October 17 before magistrate Michael Dakin for sentencing after crashing his car on Blue Knob Rd in September 2021.

Levy was driving northbound at about 12.38am with two passengers before the vehicle left the road and was airborne for 10 to 15 metres.

The car hit banks on the side of the road before coming to rest in the middle of the street, leaving passengers trapped in the wreck.

Levy pleaded guilty to one charge of dangerous driving under the influence causing grievous bodily harm.

Jaxon Lewis Levy outside Lismore Local Court on September 5, 2022.

He returned a breath test of 0.097 - drivers on probationary licences are not permitted to have any alcohol in their system.

Levy’s passenger also required part of his spine removed alongside his collarbone, resulting in a 30 per cent loss of height.

When arrested in October 2021, Levy had no memory of the collision nor did he recall drinking before the crash.

In sentencing submissions, lawyers for Levy argued that he was aware of the sheer luck involved in the fact that no one died in the crash, alongside his otherwise clean traffic record and sincere remorse.

“He made a foolish error of judgment borne of his inexperience and borne of his youth,” his lawyer said.

Levy himself suffered a brain injury in the crash and would be unlikely to reoffend, the court heard.

In sentencing, taking into account that Levy pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, a non-custodial sentence would generally be appropriate, but the extent of the intoxication made that approach impossible, magistrate Dakin said.

“The blood alcohol content puts this beyond a non-custodial sentence,” Mr Dakin said.

Notably, the court heard that one of Levy’s character referees had spoken to him before he embarked on the drive and didn’t report any signs of alcohol affectation.

With half of Lismore Local Court’s public gallery filled with Levy’s supporters watching on, he was sentenced to a 10-month intensive corrections order to be served in the community and 100 hours of community service.

His licence was also disqualified for three years.