Doncaster’s Darcy Hallford pleads not guilty in Melbourne court after allegedly speeding before January Park Orchards fatal crash

A family lunch turned disastrous after an allegedly speeding driver lost control before a fatal crash that claimed the life of a young woman in Melbourne’s east.

Darcy Hallford leaving court with lawyers and parents after appearing at Melbourne Magistrates' Court following a fatal crash at Park Orchards on January 22.

A routine family outing turned disastrous when an alleged reckless driver exceeded the speed limit in the seconds before a crash that claimed the life of a young woman, a court heard.

Darcy Hallford pleaded not guilty during a committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after two days of cross examination by his legal team.

The 23-year-old was charged with culpable driving causing death, dangerous driving, excessive speeding, and recklessly causing injury following a fatal crash at Park Orchards in Melbourne’s East earlier this year.

A 21-year-old Doncaster woman died at the scene.

Court documents obtained by the Herald Sun reveal police allege the driver, then 22-years-old, drove recklessly and dangerously at an excessive speed before the car wrapped around a tree on Stintons Rd on the afternoon of January 22.

A court heard the Doncaster man was under severe stress and suffering from concussion in the hours after the crash when he learned the woman in the front seat had died.

Magistrate Stephen Ballek was told family members were among the first to discover the crash site as they trailed the car after leaving a gathering at a nearby tavern.

Police spoke to Mr Hallford as he sat roadside on a picnic rug in the aftermath of the collision but failed to inform him they were recording his words on bodycam.

Mr Hallford and two of his passengers were hospitalised with serious injuries before the driver was arrested.

An expert witness, under cross examination, told the court she attended the scene to reconstruct the crash and her calculations estimated the minimum speed of the vehicle to be 109 km/h.

The speed limit was 70km/h.

The witness studied the scene and told the court skid marks were observed more than 100m from the crash and estimated the vehicle was travelling at an excessive speed five seconds before impact.

One investigating officer told the court there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol contributing to the crash.

Defence barrister Penny Marcou asked investigators whether the vehicle’s airbags were faulty after some failed to deploy.

On Tuesday, Ms Marcou cross-examined police who attended the scene and questioned why none of them revealed they were recording Mr Hallford or informed him of his rights.

One witness had previously lobbied the local council to remove large dangerous trees from the roadside in the Manningham region.

The matter was committed to trial in the County Court with an initial hearing listed for October 25.