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

A northern beaches’ garbo, facing a string of offences over a head-on crash that left a L-plate driver and his mum with spinal injuries, is set to negotiate with cops over charges, a court has heard.

A garbage truck driver from Cromer, is facing a string of charges in relation to a collision between the truck he was allegedly driving a Mazda on Mona Vale Rd, Ingleside, on October 9, 2023. Picture: Ingleside Rural Fire Service

A northern beaches’ garbo, facing a string of offences over a head-on crash that left a L-plate driver and his mother with spinal injuries, is set to negotiate with police over the charges, a court has heard.

Police allege Ron Tauariki, 42, of Cromer, was 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 the 16-year-old learner driver.

It will be alleged that Mr Tauariki’s truck crashed into the Mazda hatchback on Mona Vale Rd at Ingleside at 3.30pm on October 9.

The teenager, 16, from the northern beaches who was driving the Mazda and cannot be identified for legal reasons, 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, police have alleged in Manly Local Court.

The collision between a garbage truck and a hatchback on Mona Vale Rd, Ingleside, on October 9, 2023. 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.

He has pleaded not guilty 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.

In Manly court on Wednesday, his solicitor, Paul McGirr, asked for an adjournment so that representations on the charges can be made to officers who investigated the alleged offences.

Ron Tauariki, of Cromer, will be back before Manly Local Court on March 3. (AAP IMAGE / MONIQUE HARMER)

Mr Tauariki was not in court on Wednesday.

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 on March 3. Mr Tauariki’s conditional bail was continued.