Cale James Cross jailed for meth drive which maimed passengers

Driving with a “severe impairment” due to the amount of ice he’d gobbled up, the young Brisbane man then tried to blame gravel for his loss of control.

A Sunday morning McDonald’s run on Brisbane’s bayside turned tragic after the young driver, who was “severely impaired” by the amount of methamphetamine he’d taken, lost control of his vehicle while driving one-handed and maimed two of his passengers.

Wynnum West man Cale James Cross, 23, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Monday to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, driving under the influence of a dangerous drug, and driving while unlicensed.

The court heard all offences occurred about 7.45am on Sunday, November 29 last year at the intersection of Hemmant Tingalpa and Foley roads.

Cross had driven the 3.5km with three passengers to McDonald’s and was a short distance away from his home when he lost control of his vehicle while turning right into Foley Rd.

Wynnum West man Cale James Cross, 23. Picture: Facebook

The court heard he was exceeding the speed limit when he entered the turn, performed the turn at about 50km/h, and was only using his left hand to control the wheel, with his right hanging out his window.

The court was played CCTV footage from a nearby residence in which Cross’ rear wheels can be heard screeching as they lock.

Cross ultimately crashed his vehicle first into an Energex power pole then a parked truck.

While Cross and another passenger emerged from the accident “relatively unscathed”, two others suffered grievous injuries.

A female passenger suffered fractures to her spine, ribs and pelvis, as well as bruising to her lungs.

A male passenger suffered even worse: he was left with fractures to his spine, ribs, skull and ankle, with the court hearing one of his feet was “bent nearly at a right angle” to his shin.

In addition to this, he also suffered bleeding on his brain and lesions to his lung.

He spent 18 days in intensive care before discharging himself against medical advice, the court heard.

Analysis of Cross’ blood following the accident revealed he had “high” levels of meth in his system, which would have “severely impaired” his ability to control the vehicle.

When interviewed by police, Cross initially claimed it was scattered gravel on the road which made him lose control of his vehicle, but after being shown pictures of the clean roadway he admitted it was his driving alone, the court heard.

Judge John Coker told the court Cross had an “unremarkable” childhood but commenced using cannabis at the age of 12 or 13 before progressing to ice by age 17.

“This is a tragic wakeup call,” he said.

“You’ve got a troubling traffic history.

“Yet again you were behind the wheel when you should not have been because you were unlicensed.

“Your family deserves better.”

Cross had been remanded in pre-sentence custody for 300 days since the tragic crash, with some of that time relating to a previous parole order he was required to serve out due to the commission of the current offences.

He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with parole eligibility set at March 31 next year.

Cross was also disqualified from driving for two years.

Originally published as Cale James Cross jailed for meth drive which maimed passengers