Drug driver’s high speed crash ‘could have killed’

Police clocked a suspended driver at nearly 200km/h shortly before a crash so significant his girlfriend was flung from the wreckage.

DRUGGED up driver William Saunders tore past a police car at nearly 200km/h before crashing and flipping, his girlfriend flung from the wreckage.

Police came across the crash scene soon after with the clouds of dust settling, finding both the driver and his two passengers injured, with the woman in a critical state.

Ipswich District Court heard the driver's former girlfriend suffered brain injuries and injuries to her head and knees.

Appearing from jail via video-link William Peter Jeffrey Saunders, 26, a dad of three from Inala, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing grievous bodily harm when adversely affected by drugs and speeding on the Warrego Highway near Charleville on July 11, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to drug offences.

Crown prosecutor James Bishop said the crash occurred at 12.30pm in Sommariva when Saunders lost control of his Holden Commodore.

Mr Bishop said Saunders was travelling at 198 kmh when he passed a police car on the highway in a 110 kmh speed zone.

Officers turned the police car around to follow the Commodore then saw a dust cloud ahead on a right hand bend.

When they pulled up at the scene, the car was on its roof.

The woman had been ejected from the car and was lying badly injured on the ground. Saunders was standing near the wreckage.

Mr Bishop said tyre marks showed the Commodore skidded 130m on the wrong side of the road, travelled another 110m off the road, then became airborne before rolling 60m.

Saunders later tested positive to cannabis.

Inside the wreckage police found 177 grams of cannabis and drug paraphernalia including a set of scales and clip seal plastic bags.

The woman's injuries included brain haemorrhages, dislocated collarbone, spine fractures, large scalp wound and knee injuries.

Mr Bishop said the woman was left with ongoing difficulties as a result of her injuries.

He noted Saunders also had a significant number of speeding offences.

The maximum penalty for the offence is 14 years jail, the court heard.

Defence barrister Carl Martinovic tended psychological reports on Saunders, saying that while in jail Saunders had been working as a clerk in the prison cultural centre.

Mr Martinovic said Saunders immediately expressed guilt and contrition to police at the crash scene.

He said his drug abuse stemmed from his suffering of anxiety and depression following a relationship ending and separation from his three children.

"It is accepted that there were very serious injuries. Certainly there are no excuses for his offence."

Saunders had spent 8 ½ months in jail leading up to his sentencing.

Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren SC said Saunders was lucky nobody was killed.

"You have a very poor traffic history with 10 speeding offences, and at the time your licence was suspended due to an accumulation of points," Judge Hornemann-Wren said.

Judge Horneman-Wren said the woman's brain injuries could have caused death, while the injuries to her knees, if left untreated, could have resulted in amputation.

Saunders was convicted and sentenced to a four-year jail term with parole eligibility at one-third. He can begin his application for parole from January 23, 2021.

Originally published as