Ingleside: Garbo Ron Tauariki pleads not guilty to dangerous driving after L-plate driver injured in Mona Vale Rd head-on

A Sydney garbo, facing a string of charges over a head-on crash that left a L-plate driver and his mum with spinal injuries, has entered pleas in court.

A collision between a garbage truck and a hatchback being driven by a learner driver, on Mona Vale Rd, Ingleside, on October 9. Truck driver Ron Tauariki, 42, of Cromer, has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving charges in Manly Local Court. Picture: Ingleside Rural Fire Service

A Sydney garbo, who was allegedly behind the wheel of a garbage truck that crossed to the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with a car driven by an L-plater, has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving.

Police allege Ron Tauariki, 42, of Cromer, was driving the truck on Mona Vale Rd at Ingleside on October 9, when it crashed into a Mazda hatchback.

A boy, 16, from the northern beaches who was driving the Mazda, suffered a compression fracture of a vertebrae in his lower spine. His 55-year-old mother, who was in the front passenger seat, received multiple fractures from her neck, down through her thoracic and lumbar spine.

The garbage truck also collided with a Peugeot hatchback before hitting the Mazda at 3.30pm, police will allege in Manly Local Court.

The collision between the garbage truck and the hatchback on Mona Vale Rd, Ingleside, on October 9. Picture: 9News

A man, 71, who was driving the Peugeot, had to be cut from the wreckage by emergency services personnel before being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a serious condition.

His female passenger, 67, was also hurt.

The L-plate driver and his mother were also taken to RNS in a stable condition.

Mr Tauariki was not injured.

In Manly court on Wednesday, a solicitor representing Mr Tauariki, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to two counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and one count each of cause bodily harm by misconduct in charge of motor vehicle, and negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Ron Tauariki will be back before Manly Local Court early next year. (AAP IMAGE / MONIQUE HARMER)

Mr Tauariki was not in court.

In documents tendered to court, police from the Crash Investigation Unit alleged that Mr Tauariki was driving the Dennis Eagle model garbage collection truck when it “travelled on the incorrect side of the road, causing a collision”.

The matter will be back in Manly Local Court early next year. Mr Tauariki’s conditional bail was continued.