‘Catastrophic’ crash on the way to church lands man with a fine

A DARWIN man who crashed head on into a family on their way to church, causing ‘catastrophic’ injuries to a 22-year-old man has walked from court with a fine

Charles Darwin University student Zachariah Thorbjornsen told the NT News he had made a ‘miraculous recovery’ from the injuries sustained in a horror crash on the way to church last year

A DARWIN man who crashed head-on into a family on their way to church, causing “catastrophic” injuries to a 22-year-old man has walked from court with a fine.

Adam Thomas Foster, 31, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court to dangerous driving causing serious harm following the crash in Humpty Doo in November last year.

The court heard Foster was driving his Toyota HiLux west on the Arnhem Hwy when he lent back to hand a chocolate milk to his three-year-old in the back seat and drifted across solid white lines towards a Nissan Pulsar coming from the opposite direction.

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The Pulsar’s driver, Augustine Thorbjornsen, tried to take evasive action but Foster overcorrected and slammed into the other car, trapping Zachariah Thorbjornsen in the vehicle.

As a result of the crash, Zachariah Thorbjornsen was taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical condition with multiple broken bones, a lacerated spleen and a brain injury.

Foster’s lawyer, Peter Maley, said both families, who were long-term Darwin residents, knew each other and Foster had contacted the Thorbjornsens to apologise.

Mr Maley said Foster continued to check in with the other family once a week for a month after the crash and had apologised over the phone and in person.

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He said Foster had stopped at the scene to help but there was “clearly nothing he could do”.

In fining Foster $2500 and suspending his licence for three months, judge Elizabeth Morris said Foster was “normally regarded as an attentive, safe and diligent driver”.

“There’s probably not a parent who has ever driven their children, even older children, who has not been momentarily distracted by something that needs to be done in relation to their child,” she said.

“Very sadly and unfortunately for you and for the Thorbjornsens, your momentary distraction happened at a time where there was somebody else in the path of your vehicle.”

Mr Thorbjornsen told the NT News he was unable to drive for a period after the crash as a result of his injuries and thought it was appropriate Foster experienced the same lack of freedom.

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“Personally (I think) that’s good, I’m sure he’s learned his lesson not to drive dangerously or to take more care on the road,” he said.

“I’m more or less pleased with the outcome, I’ve had a miraculous recovery considering my injuries so I’m more grateful of my recovery than anything else.”