Jarrid Horton Lingard pleads not guilty to driving charges in Shepparton court

A Shepparton man who ploughed into a power pole, killing his passenger, told police he “couldn’t control what I was doing” and his “vision went funny” in the moments leading up to the crash, a court has heard.

A Shepparton man allegedly lost control of his car on Channel Rd in Shepparton East, crashing into a power pole and killing his passenger. Picture: Google

A Shepparton man who ploughed into a power pole, killing his passenger, told police he “couldn’t control what I was doing” and his “vision went funny” in the moments leading up to the crash, a court has heard.

The possibility Jarrid Horton Lingard experienced a medical event in the lead up to the 2023 crash was debated in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on May 1, where he was pleading not guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death.

The court was told Mr Lingard lost control of his vehicle on Channel Rd, Shepparton East on May 20 causing it to veer slightly left.

It’s alleged he overcorrected to the right, crossed onto the wrong side of the road and crashed into a power pole.

His passenger, a 49-year-old man, was taken to Goulburn Valley Health but later died from his injuries.

Mr Lingard also faces charges of careless driving, driving an unregistered vehicle, fraudulently using an identifying number and driving a vehicle that was illegally modified from its original condition.

Jarrid Horton Lingard pleaded not guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to dangerous driving causing death.

The court heard Mr Lingard told police he “lost power in his arms” and saw a “light source behind his eyes” which meant he “couldn’t look where I was going … and we obviously crashed”.

Victorian Institute Of Forensic Medicine physician Sanjeev Gaya gave evidence during the committal and said he could not exclude the possibility Mr Lingard experienced a mild stroke pre-crash.

He said the symptoms described did fit within the spectrum of a possible stroke but said there were factors that left “more questions unanswered than answered”.

While the possibility of a pre-crash stroke was debated, it was established Mr Lingard suffered a neck injury from the incident and experienced a stroke afterwards.

Dr Gaya said doctors treating Mr Lingard “formed the view that the natural chain of events that led to the stroke was the injury to the vertebrae which occurred in the collision”.

The court heard Mr Lingard had fallen of his motorbike two weeks prior to the crash but did not seek medical attention.

Royal Melbourne Hospital associate professor John King gave evidence it would have been an “unusual circumstance” to have a minor stroke two weeks later as a result of his fall but concluded it was a “remote possibility”.

The court heard Mr Lingard was travelling about 98km/h at the time he lost control of the car — within the speed limit.

Mr Lingard will appear in Melbourne County Court on May 29 for a directions hearing.