Man charged after pregnant newlywed Katherine Hoang killed in horror crash
POLICE have charged a man over a horror crash at Orchard Hills which claimed the life of a newlywed expectant mother, her unborn twins and a 17-year-old.
NSW
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UNLICENSED driver Richard Moananu was allegedly speeding at more than 45 kms over the limit when his Mazda 3 crossed onto the wrong side of the road and killed a heavily pregnant woman and a 17-year-old.
He also has a prior offence for driving without a licence, Parramatta Bail Court was told this morning.
Moananu, 29, remained in his hospital bed and did not apply for bail charged with 10 driving offences including manslaughter.
In Parramatta Bail Court, magistrate Alexander Mojovich formally refused Moananu bail and remanded him in custody to Penrith Local Court on October 4.
The court was told he was still in Westmead Hospital after Friday night’s head-on smash in which Katherine Hoang, 23, and her unborn twins were killed along with a 17-year-old relative, an L-plater who was driving.
Sadly, the twins’ will not be registered on the road toll as they were yet to take a breath.
Katherine Hoang’s husband, Bronko Hoang, is fighting for his life in hospital.
Moananu, of Glenmore Park, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter, two counts of aggravated dangerous driving causing death, aggravated dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and causing bodily harm by misconduct by driving more than 45kms over the
limit.
He has also been charged with driving without a license, negligent driving causing death and negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm.
Moanunu was driving his Mazda 3 south on the Northern Road near Glenmore Parkway at Orchard Hills when his car jumped the median strip and smashed into the Nissan Tiida driven by the 17-year-old travelling north.
Moanunu has also been charged with injuring the driver of another car, Blake Reid, by driving on the wrong side of the road.
Mrs Hoang’s best friend Pritisha Shayal said: “I don’t have enough words to describe how beautiful she was.”
Too traumatised to speak publicly, Mrs Hoang’s uncle simply said: “She was a 23-year-old beautiful girl with twins who is now dead.
“What can you say?”
Jarrad Sherlock said he watched the car weave in and out of traffic before it hit the median strip and slammed into the oncoming Nissan Tiida.
“I was 70m from where the crash happened,” Mr Sherlock, 21, said. “I jumped out and ran over and tried to see if anyone was alive.
“Another guy ran to the Nissan and I went to the Mazda.
“I was looking for the guy in the car, I lifted his head up and took his pulse.
“He was alive but unconscious. I ran to the other car, I saw a lady in the back seat but she had already passed away.”
Mr Sherlock and another bystander stayed with Ahn Hoang as she dropped in and out of consciousness.
“We were trying to talk to her and tell her everything is going to be OK,” he said.
“I went back to the guy in the Mazda, trying to keep him alive until the ambulance got there.”
Mr Moananu was trapped in his car before being rushed to Westmead Hospital with severe leg injuries. He was in a stable condition last night and under police guard.
“The thing that gets me the most is she was a L-plater, they had done nothing wrong,” Mr Sherlock said.
“They were just going for a drive.”
The crash was one of the worst seasoned police had seen with Traffic and Highway Patrol Chief Inspector Phil Brooks describing it as a life changing event.
“You really can’t comprehend a situation like this where a young mother, 23-years-old has not only lost her life but the lives of the twin babies she was carrying,” Insp Brooks said.
“Certainly it is not something I have seen in my time and no double a very compelling situation for those police, NSW Fire and Rescue and ambulance personnel that were on the ground and all of those involved in the medical rescue which is no doubt a life changing event for all those involved.”
It marked a sombre start to the October long weekend, with four people dying on NSW roads in the first 24 hours.
Moananu was refused bail and face a bedside court hearing from Westmead Hospital today.
HOLIDAY MAYHEM ON OUR ROADS
■ Friday, 3am: A 31-year-old drink driver from Ultimo who crashed his car on Pier St in Sydney’s CBD allegedly blew 0.240 blood alcohol content level.
■ Friday, 7.40pm: An expectant mother, her unborn twins and a teenage girl were killed in a head-on crash at Orchard Hills. Two men are also fighting for their life in hospital.
■ Friday, 7.45pm: A woman is in hospital with serious injuries after an alleged hit and run in Bankstown. A 27-year-old driver allegedly lost control of his Lexus and hit the pedestrian as well as a set of traffic lights and a sign post before speeding off. He has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, not give particulars to injured person and fail to stop and render assistance.
■ Saturday, 5.30am: A man, 44, was hit and killed in a suspected hit and run at Glenridding in the Upper Hunter. A woman driving a silver hatchback was seen getting out of her car to check on the body only to get back in and drive off.
■ Saturday, 11am: A pregnant woman was in a car that flipped after a crash at the Galston Gorge
■ Saturday, 1.20pm: A woman, aged in her 20s, died in a single vehicle crash on Picton Rd, near Wilton, after hitting an embankment. She died at the scene