Grace Griggs: Mornington woman, 21, to stand trial for dangerous driving causing death
A young driver has given evidence about the final seconds before a Mornington Peninsula crash that killed his dad.
South East
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A Mornington woman, 21, will stand trial following the death of a Tyabb man, 56, killed while supervising his learner driver son.
Grace Griggs will return to court on September 21 to face a charge of dangerous driving causing death after Magistrate Stephen Ballek found there was sufficient evidence for a trial.
Ms Griggs has plead not guilty to the charge.
The young woman was involved in a fatal collision with another vehicle on Mornington-Tyabb Road, Moorooduc about 6am on June 11, 2021.
The court heard Ms Griggs’ was driving a Mazda sedan that had overtaken a truck just prior to the accident with a Ford Falcon ute.
Zane Mialitsis, who was an 18-year-old learner driver at time of the accident, was behind the wheel of the ute, being supervised by his father Gary Mialitsis.
Zane Mialitsis told the court he saw the Mazda’s headlights in his lane in the lead up to the collision.
“Dad screamed ‘Oh shit’ when he saw the headlights,” Mr Mialitsis said.
He told the court he veered right onto the wrong side of the road in a bid to avoid the oncoming car.
Barrister Brad Newton, said his client Ms Griggs had “wholly returned” to her side of the two-laned road before the collision.
After hearing evidence from a witness, Major Crash Investigations Unit detectives and a Victoria Police Forensic Services reconstructionist, Mr Ballek found Ms Griggs had a case to answer.
Prior to Mr Ballek’s ruling Mr Newton began an application to vary Ms Griggs’ bail to allow her to drive at will.
Since the accident she had been allowed to drive only to and from her workplace, BlueScope Steel in Hastings and her Mornington home.
Ms Griggs was also given permission to drive to and from a crane operators course in Chadstone that she attended as a work requirement.
Mr Ballek suggested Mr Newton wait until a decision had been made about the trial before tackling bail conditions.
After ordering Ms Griggs to stand trial, the court then heard she had “fully complied” with all her bail conditions, was “gainfully employed” and had the support of her parents, who were in court for the two day committal hearing.
Mr Newton said Ms Griggs had not received any traffic infringements since the accident and had also completed a safe driving course.
He told the court that Ms Griggs’ father was currently driving her to all other appointments including counselling sessions.
Mr Ballek agreed to vary Ms Griggs bail to lift the restrictions on her driving.
