Reckless and speeding driver fronts court

A Doncaster hoon has admitted going almost 40km/h over the speed limit before he slammed into a tree, killing his female passenger.

A 21-year-old Doncaster woman who was the front passenger in the car, driven by Darcy Hallford, died after the vehicle collided with a tree in Park Orchard. Picture: Nine News

A reckless driver has admitted exceeding the speed limit before he crashed into a tree, causing the death of his front seat passenger.

Darcy Hallford, 23, pleaded guilty in the County Court on Tuesday to charges of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing serious injury.

Hallford’s actions at Park Orchards in Melbourne’s East on the afternoon of January 22 caused the death of his 21-year-old front seat passenger.

Police said Hallford drove recklessly and dangerously at an excessive speed before the car wrapped around a tree on Stintons Rd.

Darcy Hallford (centre left) leaving court after a committal hearing in Melbourne Magistrates' Court. Picture: Nilsson Jones

The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard during a committal hearing in September last year that Hallford was under severe stress and suffered from concussion in the hours after the crash when he learned the woman had died.

Family members were among the first to discover the crash site as they trailed the car Hallford was driving after leaving a gathering at a nearby tavern.

Police spoke to 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.

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

An expert witness told the court she attended the scene to reconstruct the crash and her calculations estimated the minimum speed of the vehicle to be 109km/h in a 70km/h.

Police did not find evidence of drugs or alcohol that may have contributed to the crash.

He will front court again on February 15 for a plea hearing.