Kings Langley crash: Rowena Porciuncula avoids jail over mother’s death
A split-second mistake has cost a driver her mother’s life when she ran a red light and crashed in Kings Langley last July. Zenaida Porciuncula was 72.
Blacktown
Don't miss out on the headlines from Blacktown. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Coronavirus: Blacktown region exceeds 100 COVID-19 cases
- Inmate stabbed to death at Parklea Correctional Centre
A driver whose mother was killed in a crash after she ‘mistakenly’ ran a red light in Kings Langley last year has avoided jail.
Rowena Porciuncula, 46, of Acacia Gardens, was sentenced in Penrith Local Court today after pleading guilty to one count of negligent driving occasioning death over the fatal crash in July last year.
The court heard Porciuncula was driving south on Sunnyholt Rd with her 72-year-old mother, Zenaida, in the front passenger seat when she ran at red light at the James Cook Dr intersection.
The split-second error had deadly consequences, with Porciuncula’s orange Nissan Micra crashing into a black Lexus turning in front of her into James Cook Dr.
A witness called paramedics who performed CPR on Zenaida before she was taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition.
She suffered two cardiac arrests and a traumatic brain injury and died in hospital on July 18.
Porciuncula suffered minor injuries in the crash and was also treated at Westmead Hospital before being charged over the crash the following day.
The driver of the Lexus, a 51-year-old man, was uninjured.
Magistrate Andrew Miller said there were “no winners” in the tragic case.
“This is a very unfortunate case where there has been a significant loss,” Magistrate Miller said.
“There are never any winners in a case of this nature.
“The defendant has lost her mother and that is a burden she will have to bear.”
The court heard Porciuncula had “mistook” the signal for a green light in a case of “momentary inattention”.
Magistrate Miller acknowledged the devastating toll of the crash on the Porciuncula family.
“The defendant has significant PTSD as a result of this accident,” he said.
“The family are grieving substantially the loss of their mother but the family give support to the defendant in this matter.”
Magistrate Miller also took into account Porciuncula’s good driving record.
“She has had a license for 23 years with only two minor traffic offences,” he said.
“She has accepted full responsibility for the accident.
“These are difficult matters to sentence in.
“There is an obligation on drivers to carefully monitor traffic signals and pay full attention when driving so unfortunate deaths like this do not occur.”
She was placed on a Community Corrections Order for 18 months.