Charity runner Trent Robertson seriously injures cyclist Jack Taylor using phone while driving
A former suburban footy player who recently completed the Melbourne to Noosa charity run for child cancer ploughed his vehicle into a 61-year-old cyclist and nearly killed him.
A Melbourne dad who helped raise more than $104,000 for Neuroblastoma Australia to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month was using his phone while driving when he ploughed into a cyclist, a court has heard.
Trent David Robertson, a former Noble Park Football Club rep, ran 10 marathons and completed 1200km of cycling in the Melbourne to Noosa charity run in the Noosa for Neuro challenge in September.
The 39-year-old Melbourne father-of-two from Mordialloc fronted the County Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing serious injury to Diving Victoria’s high performance coach Jack Taylor.
The court heard that Robertson was looking at the Melbourne marathon app, Instagram and Lose It! app in the lead up to the crash, about 5.25am on October 14, 2024 on the Nepean Highway in Brighton.
Robertson’s Toyota collided into the back of Mr Taylor’s mountain bike, sending it flying into the air and landing the cyclist into a gutter.
A witness saw his vehicle drift across to the left and did not appear to brake immediately before colliding with the bicycle.
Robertson pulled over and tended to Mr Taylor while on the phone to emergency services.
Police arrived about five minutes later and observed passersby giving first aid to Mr Taylor, who was either unconscious or unresponsive.
The court heard that upon arrival at The Alfred, the victim was at the risk of death due to blood loss and respiratory failure.
He suffered a number of injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, and underwent spinal fusion surgery.
In his victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Taylor said the collision had an emotional effect on his life.
“Because I have no conscious recollection of it, I don’t really harbour any negative feelings or resentment, other than a general sense of why this had to happen to me,” he said.
“My lifestyle activity has been significantly reduced as having gone from a ‘do-what-I-want, when-I-want’ mindset to a much more conservatively measured approach,”.”
Robertson read an apology letter to court, saying he made a terrible error of judgment that “was now his greatest regret”.
“As tough and as hard as it would be, if it would help Mr Taylor and if it’s something he wants to do, I offer to meet him in person so I could tell him how sorry I am,” he said.
“I was using my mobile phone while I was driving ... I did not think that doing this was dangerous at the time but it obviously was.
“It was dark, I was somewhat tired and visibly sore from the marathon I had just completed, and I didn’t see Mr Taylor in front of me when I drove into the back of his bike.”
Robertson was remanded on bail for sentencing on December 2.
