Recovering ice addict pleads not guilty over Kulnura crash
A RECOVERING ice addict who had a recent “slip-up” on the drug admitted to police that not strapping his toddler in properly before crashing head-on with another car at Kulnura was a “stupid move”.
Central Coast
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A RECOVERING ice addict who had a recent “slip-up” on the drug admitted to police that not strapping his toddler in properly before slamming head-on with another car was a “stupid move”.
The 31-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of aggravated dangerous driving and dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm while under the influence of drugs.
He also pleaded not guilty to one count of causing bodily harm while in control of a motor vehicle when he was committed to stand trial at Wyong Local Court on Tuesday.
The former butcher left his Kulnura home about 6am on October 19 last year with his son, 2, and daughter, 4, to pick up his fiance and their one-year-old baby from Armidale.
As he drove along George Downes Drive about 1.5km south of Spring Rd his Mazda 3 allegedly drifted on to the wrong side of the road and ploughed into a fully laden Mazda BT50 utility.
The crash left the man’s son and the other driver paralysed for life.
The man also suffered significant injuries and spent six weeks in a coma. His daughter suffered two broken ankles.
In his interview, tendered with a police brief of evidence, the man said he strapped the toddler into a baby seat using the adult lap-sash belt instead of the toddler harness because the child kept unclipping himself.
The man also admitted to taking ice four days before the crash with mandatory blood tests revealing he had 0.72mg/L of methylamphetamine in his system at the time.
“Oh, I, don’t, I try me hardest but every now and again I slip up, I’m that type because I’ve been, I was a drug addict for quite some years,” he said.
The man said he turned around to tell his son “mate, sit down” before the impact but claimed the other driver could have crossed into his lane.
He will be arraigned in Gosford District Court on October 13.
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