Victorian teen accused of being responsible for Cooper Ratten’s death faces court
A YOUNG woman is haunted by thoughts of a horror crash that killed her boyfriend and said her whole future had been taken away.
A YOUNG woman is haunted by thoughts of the horror crash that killed her boyfriend.
A Victorian learner driver allegedly had drugs in his system, was drunk and speeding without headlights when he crashed his car causing the death of Cooper Ratten, the son of Hawthorn assistant coach Brett Ratten.
The 18-year-old accused — who was 17 at the time of the smash in Yarra Glen, 40km northeast of Melbourne in August last year — is facing court after pleading guilty to one count of culpable driving causing death.
Prosecutors say the teenager had a blood alcohol reading of 0.084 and ecstasy in his system when he failed to drive around a bend and lost control of the speeding car.
“This is yet another tragic case involving young men, alcohol and drugs,” a prosecutor told a Victorian court on Monday.
The court heard the car rolled end-over-end, ejecting 16-year-old Cooper Ratten, who was in the back seat and wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. He was thrown 65m from the car.
He died on the way to hospital.
His father, Brett Ratten, is the assistant coach at Hawthorn and was formerly the senior coach and captain at Carlton Football Club.
At his son’s funeral he said: “If only they had asked me if I would take your place, I would have done so willingly.”
Cooper’s girlfriend, Jasmine Williams, says she is haunted by thoughts of the crash that claimed her boyfriend’s life.
“You did not just take Cooper away from me, you took our whole future,” she told the driver, through tears, in court on Monday.
“I hate that you took the time I was meant to have with him.”
Collision experts believe the headlights were off and the car was travelling about 126km/h at the time the car crashed amid “extremely foggy” conditions.
The teenage driver did not accept he was travelling that fast, his barrister said.
The hearing continues.