Teen driver jailed over serious Charters Towers crash

A young man has been jailed after a serious crash in North Queensland which left a high school student in a coma for months fighting for her life.

A YOUNG man has been jailed after a serious crash in North Queensland which left his passenger in a coma fighting for her life.

The now 18-year-old driver, who cannot be identified, faced the Children’s Court of Queensland on Friday where he was jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm while adversely affected by alcohol and a string of driving offences.

High school student Kaitey McNaught was critically injured just after 3am on October 25, 2020 after the car she was a passenger in attempted to evade police and drove dangerously before the LandCruiser smashed into trees on a Charters Towers street.

The court was told the P-plate driver, who was 17 at the time, was under the influence of alcohol and had spent hours at a pub drinking with Ms McNaught and other friends before the crash.

The Julia Creek man was not injured in the crash.

A breath test undertaken about an hour after the crash showed the teenager was more than two times the legal limit and had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 per cent.

Kaitey McNaught was seriously injured in a crash in Charters Towers in October 2020. Photo: Facebook

He told police he estimated he drank an estimated 15 alcoholic drinks in the hours he spent at the pub.

Ms McNaught suffered critical injuries which left her disabled including a traumatic brain injury, bleeding to the brain and other organs, fractures to her neck, ribs and femur.

An 18-year-old woman was flown to Townsville after the vehicle she was a passenger in was involved in a crash in Gill St, Charters Towers on Sunday, October 25.

She lost her sight in one eye as well as her sense of taste and smell. She was wheelchair bound for months, requires assistance with daily tasks and still struggles 18 months later to stand for more than 10 minutes.

Ms McNaught’s parents watched the court hearing via video link and both wiped away tears as the judge deciding the case described the young woman’s testimony about her experience as

“harrowing”.

In a victim impact statement, Ms McNaught told the court about how much of her life had changed since the crash and expressed dismay about her loss of freedom.

Kaitey McNaught. Photo: Facebook

The young woman had her licence for just three months before the crash and now fears she will never be allowed to drive again and expressed sadness about being unable to recall any memories of her formal or graduation.

The teenage driver was arrested and charged eight months after the crash.

Character references and letters of support which were tendered to the court spoke of a young man who was inherently a good person and a supportive young man.

Prior to the crash the driver had never been in trouble with the law.

The driver wrote letters to the court and to Ms McNaught in which he said there was no excuse for his actions and apologised for taking away her independence.

In sentencing, Judge John Coker said the driver’s level of intoxication aggravated his offending.

“The consumption of liquor was excessive in the extreme for anyone, but for a 17-year-old youth it was an inordinately significant amount of alcohol,” Judge Coker said.

“If a penalty could change the situation for Ms McNaught it would be imposed immediately. If a penalty could in any way could make her suffer any less … it would be done immediately.”

The 18-year-old was sentenced to 18 months custody with the requirement he serve half the sentence behind bars.

Due to his age at the time of sentence he will serve his time in an adult prison.

He was banned from driving for two years. No conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Teen driver jailed over serious Charters Towers crash