No jail for liar tradie after Carrum Downs woman almost killed in horror Dandenong South smash
A simple driving mistake left a Carrum Downs woman with a severe brain injury after she was forced to slam into the back of a truck at Dandenong South. And the careless offender tried to lie his way out of the crime as his victim lay bloodied in the wreck.
South East
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A thoughtless tradie who left a woman with catastrophic brain damage when he carelessly cut lanes at a Dandenong South intersection has avoided jail.
As his victim lay bleeding in her mangled vehicle, John Wilson, 30, lied to first responders by telling them he moved lanes to avoid a collision with a non-existent car.
The fibs came after Wilson, then 28, didn’t care to conduct a head-check or give way as he drove his Nissan Navara into the right lane of Frankston Dandenong Rd approaching the Jayco Rd intersection in a bid to be first to the red light about 10.30am on July 16 2018.
His 41-year-old victim — travelling in the right lane — was forced to desperately swerve her Holden Commodore out of Wilson’s way, slamming into a the back of a 16-tonne truck which was waiting to turn right.
And as emergency services worked for close to an hour to release the bloodied victim from the wreck, Wilson and his passenger told police he’d moved to avoid hitting a car travelling in the left lane.
But dashcam footage collected from a driver behind them and CCTV from a nearby business told a different story.
“You changed lanes immediately prior to an intersection controlled by traffic lights over a solid line and without performing a proper head check … you got out and approached the victim’s vehicle to try to assist,” Judge Frances Dalziel told the County Court.
“When formally interviewed you abandoned (the previous) version of events and admitted changing lanes … once the lights had already turned orange.”
The victim was rushed to The Alfred where she was treated for bleeds on both sides of her skull as well as torn brain tissue, fractured facial bones, collapsed lungs and a lacerated face and spleen.
The Carrum Downs woman remained in hospital for three months and is still troubled by short-term memory loss, anxiety and loss of sense of smell and taste.
Wilson, who had no criminal history and was known by friends to contribute to society as a devoted Catholic, now suffers from “extreme” anxiety and depression.
His fiance said her partner had a “great deal of regrets, sadness and remorse’ since the incident.
Ms Dalziel said there was a “real need" for drivers to take “proper care and drive safely”.
“This case brings home all too clearly how a simple mistake can lead to tragic consequences,” she said.
“I am very mindful of the devastating injuries and damage caused to (the victim) and the lifelong consequences for her and her mother … on the other hand this is effectively a case of momentary inattention in driving unaccompanied by any of the serious aggravating factors that can arise.
“I’m sure you’ll be particularly careful on the roads in the future.”
Wilson pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing injury and was convicted and sentenced to a two-year community corrections order.
He must complete 300 hours of community work and his licence was cancelled.
He was barred from obtaining a new license for 18 months.
brittany.goldsmith@news.com.au
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