Mother of one Meggan Ritchie causes death of Julie Barnes

A drug-addicted Dromana woman took her eyes off the road while driving to look for an asthma puffer for her daughter before slamming into an elderly pedestrian.

Julie Barnes was flown to the Alfred Hospital but could not be saved Picture: David Caird

A drug-addicted Melbourne mother who took her eyes off the road to find an asthma pump for her coughing daughter swerved across the road before hitting and killing an elderly pedestrian.

Meggan Ritchie, 29, pleaded guilty in the County Court to one charge of dangerous driving causing death and was jailed on Wednesday for three years and six months.

The court heard Ritchie was on her way to an appointment on December 30, 2021, when her five-year-old daughter started coughing.

Ritchie asked if she needed an asthma puffer, and twice took her eyes off the road to look for the asthma puffer, first in her handbag, and then in the glove box and centre console.

The car veered on the wrong side of the road and struck McCrae grandmother Julie Barnes, 76, who was thrown from the bonnet of the Hyundai and landed on a driveway.

Ritchie didn’t see Mrs Barnes before the impact but stopped and checked on her before emergency services arrived.

She told those who gathered at the scene: “Just I am sorry. Sorry for her family. I’ll do anything to go back.”

She was flown to The Alfred hospital where she died just after 5pm that day.

Julie Barnes was flown to the The Alfred hospital after the incident but died that evening.

After being subjected to a pat down search by police, Ritchie produced a syringe and ice pipe from her bra and a small container of liquid butanediol from her underwear.

A blood sample taken from her just over two hours after the collision revealed the presence of methylamphetamine.

In his victim impact statement, her husband John Barnes described his wife as healthy, energetic and much-loved.

He said 180 people attended her funeral and he received a further 129 commiseration cards and flowers.

They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary only a few months before her death and said he missed her terribly every day, particularly at night.

Daughter Sara Barnes spoke of her mother’s joy and passion for life and said she was the leader and anchor of the family

Son Mark Barnes described sitting with his mother at the hospital, holding her hand and hugging her, and the huge sense of anguish and numbness he felt.

Mark Barnes’ daughter Ava misses telling her grandmother about her day and her life and said her family holidays would always have an empty seat at the table.

Meggan Ritchie had a blood test after the incident revealing revealed the presence of methylamphetamine.

She will always regret that she never got to say goodbye to her grandmother, the court heard.

Judge Rosemary Carlin said members of the community needed to understand if they drove dangerously with consequent loss of life, or serious injury, significant punishment would follow.

Further, she said the sentence must manifest the community’s disapproval of dangerous conduct which resulted in the loss of human lives.

Ritchie told the court she had used methylamphetamine, ecstasy and cocaine.

She started using methylamphetamine in 2019 and at first it was occasional but after her second relationship ended, she started to use the drug more. She also started using butanediol from late 2021.

Ritchie must serve a minimum of two years and two months before being eligible for parole.