Bass Coast dad William Leckie pleads guilty in Korumburra Magistrates Court over Catani crash

A Gippsland boy and his dad are lucky to be alive after a cross-state journey ended with their car rolling into a paddock.

William Leckie, 53, faced at the Korumburra Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to multiple charges.

A Gippsland boy and his dad are lucky to be alive after a cross-state journey ended with their car rolling into a paddock.

William Leckie and son Jack were driving from Cape Paterson to Cobram and back — a total distance of 730km across eight hours — in November last year when Leckie “blacked out” at the wheel.

The vehicle left Caldermeade Rd before rolling twice and resting upside down on a fence, the Korumburra Magistrates’ Court heard on Thursday.

Jack was thrown through the back window and knocked unconscious while Leckie remained trapped inside the car.

The prosecution told the court the collision was heard by people on nearby Catani farms who raced to help.

William Leckie had driven from Cape Paterson to Cobram and back when the car crashed. Picture: Google Maps

One of the witnesses, a paramedic, helped Jack who was flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital but was lucky to just have scratches.

Leckie was taken to the Dandenong Hospital, where he tested positive for both alcohol and cannabis.

Caldermeade Rd is relatively straight. Picture: Google Maps

In an interview with police, Leckie said he had left Cape Paterson at 7am that day, and had driven to Cobram and back.

He said he didn’t know how the collision occurred but it was possible he “blacked out” or was distracted by his son.

Leckie said he didn’t know why his son didn’t have a seatbelt on correctly.

“As far as I know, he had his seatbelt on,” he told officers at the time.

Leckie also admitted he “shared a joint” with his mates a few weeks before the crash, when asked when the last time he took drugs was.

Leckie’s five-year-old son Jack was flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital but luckily escaped any major injuries. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Pleading guilty to a raft of charges including careless driving of a motor vehicle, the court was told the crash was an example of a “serious car accident where the consequences could have been far worse”.

“The circumstances around the accident speak for themselves in terms of the driving, the hours on the road,” Leckie’s defence lawyer said.

She added his son Jack made a full recovery.

Magistrate Ann Collins said she was aware of the “enormous” impact the incident had had on Leckie’s family.

“Clearly you’re lucky just to be standing here not facing a higher court,” Ms Collins said.

“I have no doubt this has been a wake up call for you in terms of your responsibilities.”

Leckie was convicted, fined $1000 and his licence was suspended for 12 months.