Peta Warland sentencing after horrific crash at Belmont North which killed Susan Crews
A court has heard the devastating moment a mother (pictured left) was killed in a horrific crash in the Hunter, while talking on the phone to her daughter. The driver of the other vehicle (right) who caused the crash was under the influence of drugs and is now set to be sentenced.
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A court has heard the heart wrenching moment a daughter heard her mother struggling to breathe on the other end of the phone just moments before a devastating crash claimed her life.
Susan Crews, 50, died on her way to work in a head on collision on the Pacific Highway at Belmont North on the morning of May 13 last year, the day after mother’s day.
Her daughter Jade Buckley was having her usual chat with her mum over bluetooth when she heard a terrifying loud noise, before the other end went quiet.
“I called out but I didn’t get a response and I went into panic,” she said in a victim impact statement read out in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday.
“Then I heard people rushing to scene. Someone finally picked up the speaker (phone) and she had been in a car accident.”
She rushed to the scene - scattered with her mother’s belongings - but it was too late, she was dead.
The driver of the other vehicle was 32-year-old Peta Richelle Warland.
The mother-of-two was found to be “significantly affected” by cannabis when her vehicle mounted the median strip and crossed over onto the other side of the road slamming into Ms Crews’ car that morning.
She pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death, driving under the influence, while other charges were withdrawn or have been used as backup or related charges.
It was a sombre courtroom, full of Ms Crews’ family on Tuesday, as Ms Buckley, her sister Jessica and stepfather Robert Crews all read out heartfelt victim impact statements.
They paid tribute to the social worker, remembering her as a “supportive” and “compassionate” person, with a “beautiful soul”, grieving the loss of a woman they loved so much.
In giving evidence, Warland admitted she had initially lied about smoking cannabis prior to the crash but was “scared” and “worried” she was going to go to jail that day.
“I know sorry wont ever fix what happened or bring Susan back,” she told the court.
“Not a day goes by I don’t think of Susan and your family, I hope one day you can find it in my heart to forgive me, but I would never forgive myself.”
She told the court she had started smoking cannabis joints before the birth of her second child to help with morning sickness and smoked on average three to four joints a day.
The court also heard she had smoked three joints on the Saturday before the crash, but none on the Sunday, before she had to drive her partner to work that morning.
She said since the crash, she hadn’t got back in the driver’s seat or used cannabis.
Crown prosecutor Jillian Kelton questioned Warland’s credibility in telling the truth about her usage and frequency of consuming cannabis and whether her failure to react was due to her drug intoxication.
“The offender is unreliable and she has been inconsistent, we need to go by the scientific evidence, she must have been using over the whole weekend to have that level in her blood,” Ms Kelton said.
“The fact of going over the median strip and not braking, there should have been that instinctive correction.”
Warland’s barrister William Buxton said his client knew it was “inevitable” she would be sent to jail for what had happened.
He told the court there was no evidence to suggest she ingested cannabis hours before the crash or either to support that the level of danger was increased as the journey continued before the crash.
Judge Tim Gartelmann reserved his judgment but revoked Warland’s bail — as per her request — to see her be taken into custody.
The decision will be heard Friday.