Kirsten Anthony to fight negligent driving occasioning death charge after fatal crash into friend Hayden Selby

The Queensland woman who crashed into her friend and father of 11 Hayden Selby in the Illawarra has pleaded not guilty to negligent driving occasioning death.

Queensland woman Kirsten Anthony leaving Wollongong Local Court in July. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The Queensland woman driving an SUV which crashed into her friend and father of 11 Hayden Errol Frank Selby on Mount Ousley in the Illawarra has pleaded not guilty to negligent driving occasioning death.

The development came in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday when Kirsten Anthony, 25, entered the not guilty plea through her lawyer to Registrar Tina McKenna.

The horror crash occurred on the afternoon of July 19 on the M1 Motorway north of Wollongong when Anthony, who the court previously heard was an inexperienced driver from Plainland an hour west of Brisbane, collided with Mr Selby who was riding a motorbike in front of her.

The court heard, during a bail application in July, how Anthony “tried to take evasive action” before “indirectly” crashing her Toyota Kluger into and killing her 31-year-old friend on the main road into the Illawarra.

Emergency services arrived on the scene about 4.10pm, by which stage Mr Selby was dead.

Hayden Selby died at the scene.

Anthony was uninjured and taken to Wollongong Hospital for mandatory testing.

Officers established a crime scene and subsequently charged Anthony with negligent driving occasioning death.

The incident was described as “very tragic” by Registrar Angela Wilson who granted Anthony bail on July 20 with conditions she report daily to police, enter a mental health care plan on the instruction of the doctor, deposit $500 surety and not occupy the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle.

The crash caused major delays on the M1 Motorway north of Wollongong. Picture: Facebook

Speaking with this publication in the wake of the crash, Mr Selby’s partner Katie Powell described him as a “protector” who would go above and beyond for the people in his life.

“Hayden was a protector to everyone he cared for. He was my rock and my 11 children’s hero,” Ms Powell said.

“We met in 2014 through mutual friends and we have been inseparable ever since, I found my soulmate the day I met him.”

The case will be mentioned in November with a hearing likely to take place in 2025.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]