Deanna Azabal: Couple’s spat cost the life of an unsuspecting grandmother

The events that led to the crash which killed an Illawarra grandmother have been revealed, with the woman responsible set to be sentenced.

The Lake Heights woman whose negligent driving caused the death of a grandmother of five near Figtree has pleaded guilty more than a year on from the fateful night.

In Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, 31-year-old Deanna Azabal pleaded guilty to negligent driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and two counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct.

Charges of dangerous driving occasioning death and dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm were withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The tragic incident occurred on Friday, March 5, 2021 when Azabal was supposed to be attending her father-in-law’s 60th birthday at The Fraternity Club in Fairy Meadow with her husband, Ivan.

However, after parking at the venue just before 6.30pm, they remained in the vehicle locked in a heated argument with Azabal upset and crying and Ivan leaving the car.

Deanna Azabal (centre) leaving Wollongong Courthouse on Wednesday. Picture: Dylan Arvela

Azabal tried finding her husband, before pulling over and engaging in a frantic 49-message text exchange where Ivan sent messages such as “By tomorrow it’ll be all over... Like a dead pet” and “Youre done, im done, just say goodbye”.

Ivan returned to the car at around 7pm when they decided against going to the celebrations and instead headed home.

The couple argued as Azabal drove them home, ignoring seven missed calls from her mother-in-law which came through the silver Nissan Juke’s bluetooth system.

Grandmother Angela Darragh died of serious injuries after her car collided with a large tree. Picture: Supplied

Angela Darragh, a 47-year-old grandmother, was driving southbound in the second lane on the M1 Princes Mwy near Figtree with three children in the car at around 7.15pm when the nightmare unfolded.

Azabal was looking at her husband while their argument continued, causing her to veer into the right lane and shunt Ms Darragh’s blue Holden Statesman off the road with it colliding with a large tree.

Ms Darragh sustained fatal injuries to her head, chest and abdomen, while one of the children was trapped in the vehicle for 45 minutes before being flown to Westmead Hospital with serious injuries.

The totalled vehicle of the deceased, Angela Darragh. Picture: Supplied

The other two children were freed from the vehicle by passers-by before they were conveyed to hospital.

When police arrived, Ivan pleaded “This is on me, this is all on me” while an “upset and emotionally exhausted” Azabal told them “probably just a combination of being distracted and I don’t know” caused the crash.

Azabal will be sentenced in Wollongong Local Court in August.