Joshua Jack Ryan, Fabian Pandzic sentenced for high speed crash which injured elderly man in Gosford

Two men who took part in a wild street drag race, hitting speeds of 141km/h before colliding with an 85-year-old driver and leaving him with lifelong injuries, have learned their fates in court.

Fabian Pandzic, 21, and Joshua Ryan, 26, were street racing when they caused a crash that flipped an elderly man's car at West Gosford in December 2022.

Two young men who took part in a wild street drag race, reaching speeds of 141km/h before colliding with an 85-year-old driver and leaving him with lifelong injuries, have escaped jail time.

Joshua Jack Ryan, 26, of Point Clare, and Fabian Pandzic, 21, of Canada Bay in Sydney’s Inner West, were sentenced to an intensive correction order for three years for their role in the high-speed crash.

Ryan and Pandzic pulled up alongside each other on the Central Coast Hwy at the intersection of Racecourse Rd on December 10, 2022.

Witnesses in cars behind said they saw the pair, both driving black Volkswagen Golf GTIs, talking through their windows shortly before 11am.

Both men had their girlfriends seated beside them – oblivious to what was about to transpire – as they fawned over the look and sound of each other’s modified cars.

Police reviewed CCTV footage from nearby businesses, along with another motorist’s dashcam, while “pre-impact data” from the airbag module of Ryan’s car found he was travelling between 142-149km/h.

Meanwhile, an elderly man was attempting to turn right into Hely Street, crossing the path of the two speeding cars.

Fabian Pandzic, 21, of Canada Bay, at Gosford District Court where he is facing sentence over a street racing incident at West Gosford which caused a crash that critically injured a another driver, aged 85. Picture: NewsLocal

“Pandzic’s vehicle narrowly avoided a collision; however, Ryan’s vehicle collided with the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle,” an agreed set of facts state.

“The collision caused the victim’s vehicle to spin, flip and roll. The vehicle impacted a timber telegraph pole before colliding with a bus shelter near a 7-Eleven service station, where it became lodged.”

The 85-year-old driver was trapped in the wreckage before being flown to John Hunter Hospital in a critical condition. He was intubated at the scene.

He spent two months in hospital, and at one point, his family feared he would not survive until Christmas.

Ryan’s girlfriend was flown to Royal North Shore Hospital, where she was treated for a broken collarbone and a hairline fracture to one of her vertebrae.

Joshua Jack Ryan, 25, (left) arriving at Gosford Local Court with a supporter (right) where he pleaded guilty to aggravated dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm following a street racing incident at West Gosford in December 2022. Picture: NewsLocal

In sentencing, Judge David Wilson said the young men’s “stupid behaviour” was “unplanned.”

The court heard Ryan had modified his vehicle to enhance its performance, while Pandzic’s modifications were purely aesthetic.

“It was spontaneous and idiotic behaviour by two irresponsible young men, jeopardising the lives of many,” Judge Wilson said.

“This is not a case of momentary inattention, but rather a case of abandonment of responsibility for conduct, albeit over a short period of time.”

Ryan was sentenced to three years on an intensive correction order with home detention conditions.

Pandzic was sentenced to two years and nine months on an intensive correction order with home detention conditions.

Originally published as Joshua Jack Ryan, Fabian Pandzic sentenced for high speed crash which injured elderly man in Gosford