Melbourne construction worker Jordan Hilton-Taylor admits drink driving before St Kilda accident

A Melbourne drunk driver left a woman in a coma after he hit the victim and “flung her in the air” before fleeing the scene.

Jordan Hilton-Taylor pleaded guilty to drink-driving and failing to render assistance after hitting a St Kilda pedestrian. Facebook.

A Melbourne drunk driver who hit and flung a female pedestrian in the air before fleeing the scene has avoided a conviction despite leaving his victim in an induced coma.

Civil construction worker Jordan Hilton-Taylor, 31, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday to drink-driving and failing to render assistance.

Hilton-Taylor hit a female pedestrian while he drove through St Kilda just before 7pm on July 31, 2022.

The impact of Hilton-Taylor’s St Kilda Rd accident “flung the woman up in the air” before she landed on the road, the court was told.

The court heard Hilton-Taylor failed to stop and drove his Jeep away from the scene.

Police and ambulance rushed to the scene.

The victim was transported to the Alfred for “urgent medical care” where she was “placed in an induced coma”.

Hilton-Taylor, of Greensborough, parked his vehicle a distance away before returning to the scene on foot where he was arrested by police.

The court heard Hilton-Taylor, who took “less than an hour” to return to the St Kilda Rd accident scene, phoned a friend before he came back to the scene.

Hilton-Taylor said he drank an “unknown number of pots” prior to the accident.

Hilton-Taylor told the friend “I think I’ve just been in an accident” and the friend advised Hilton-Taylor “well you better go back and find out what happened”.

The court heard Hilton-Taylor’s damaged Jeep was later discovered at Elwood and hauled away for closer investigation.

Investigators could not find any evidence of Hilton-Taylor breaking at the accident scene but it was conceded Hilton-Taylor had “right of way” when he smashed into the victim.

Hilton-Taylor, who told police he “drank an unknown number of pots” prior to the accident, later returned a 0.096 blood alcohol content.

The court heard the victim suffered an “injury” but there was no evidence she suffered a “serious injury”.

The defence had an accident trauma specialist on hand to give the evidence the victim did not suffer serious injury.

However, the specialist wasn’t required as the matter was resolved from a contested hearing to a guilty plea.

Hilton-Taylor left the scene, parked his Jeep a distance away and returned on foot.

Hilton-Taylor, a civil construction worker employed on roads and rail, claimed he “thought he saw a shadow on the ground”.

Serge Petrovich, for Hilton-Taylor, submitted his client didn’t know what he saw and it “could’ve been an animal for all he knew”.

“He didn’t see anyone fly in the air or he would’ve obviously known,” Mr Petrovich said.

Magistrate Rohan Lawrence said he was “finding it difficult” to accept Hilton-Taylor’s version.

“I’m struggling with accepting that the impact was forceful enough that the pedestrian was flung into the air (and) the person driving the car was not aware of that,” Magistrate Lawrence said.

“The degree of the force required, depending on the damage to the car, I’m finding it difficult to see how a person wouldn’t at least have a strong suspicion that they just hit something.”

Sign up to the bayside suburbs Leader newsletters

However, Magistrate Lawrence said Hilton-Taylor’s story was “plausible” after viewing photos of the damaged Jeep.

“Plainly you shouldn’t have been drinking on this night …,” Magistrate Lawrence said.

“I’m not sentencing you on the basis though that your drinking was in any way connected to the accident occurring …

“You had been drinking too much but the accident was primarily caused by the pedestrian … where there’s no provision for crossing (St Kilda Rd) …”

Hilton-Taylor, who has no priors, was handed a without conviction adjourned undertaking to run until December 10.

Hilton-Taylor was also fined $1000 and his licence disqualified for six months.

[e-mail]