Amanda Haley: Fatal driver smoked `ice’ before in Forresters Beach crash

A woman who crossed onto the wrong side of the road before ploughing head on into an oncoming car at Forresters Beach was high on `ice’, a court has heard.

Amanda Haley, 37, has pleaded guilty to a fatal crash on Central Coast Highway at Forresters Beach. Picture: supplied

A disqualified driver was seen overtaking cars from the left hand lane before crossing double white lines and crashing head-on with another car.

Amanda Charlene Haley, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and grievous bodily harm while under the influence of drugs at Gosford Local Court on Friday.

The 38-year-old appeared via video link from custody, where she has been since her arrest following the crash shortly before 3pm on January 25 last year.

An agreed set of police facts state Haley was “travelling at speeds greater than the surrounding traffic and undertaking vehicles (on the left) in a merging lane” northbound on the Central Coast Highway at Forresters Beach.

Amanda Haley was under the influence of `ice' when she lost control on the Central Coast Highway after the roundabout at Crystal St and ploughed into an oncoming car. Picture: Google

“As the offender approached the roundabout (at Crystal St) she used the left lane to undertake the other vehicles travelling in the same direction,” the facts state.

“At the same time the victim and the deceased were travelling in a white Toyota HiLux in a southerly direction along the Central Coast Highway towards the Crystal St roundabout.”

“The offender continued in the left lane as she exited the Crystal St roundabout. As she neared the end of that left merging lane, she accelerated in order to undertake another vehicle. As the offender undertook that vehicle, she veered sharply into the southbound lane, crossing the right northbound lane and the unbroken double lines.”

Amanda Haley, 38, was charged with six offences after a fatal crash on Central Coast Highway at Forresters Beach. Picture: Supplied

Haley’s white Mitsubishi Outlander collided head-on with the HiLux, trapping the driver Glenn Clarke, 65, and his front seat passenger Angela Gillfeather, 67.

Numerous bystanders called triple 0.

“At some point the deceased (Ms Gillfeather) started moaning and the bystanders attempted to keep her still and calm until emergency services arrived,” the facts state.

“The bystanders told police that the offender was very confused and appeared to be intoxicated or affected by drugs.”

Amanda Haley, 38, was charged with six offences after a fatal crash on Central Coast Highway at Forresters Beach. Picture: Supplied

Ms Gillfeather was flown to John Hunter Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery but was pronounced dead at 7.06pm from “overwhelming massive haemorrhage”.

Mr Clarke was taken to Gosford Hospital where he was treated for fractures to his C2, T12 and L1 vertebrae, multiple rib fractures, punctured lung, fluid in his abdomen from a bleeding artery and fractured pelvis.

Doctors described his injuries as “severe and potentially life threatening” before he was transferred to Royal North Shore Hospital.

Haley was also taken to hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.

“The offender disclosed to the officers that she had smoked ice prior to the collision,” the facts state.

“The evidence in respect to the toxicology establishes that at the time of the collision the offender was under the influence of methylamphetamine to the extent that her driving ability would have been very substantially impaired.”

Haley will be arraigned for sentence in Gosford District Court on February 11.