Taxi driver Dru Schaffer found not guilty to killing Danielle Butterfield

An Ipswich driver on trial for allegedly causing the death of a 14-year-old girl has had his fate determined by a jury in court today.

An Ipswich Maxi Taxi has been found not guilty of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing the death of 14-year-old Danielle Butterfield.

The verdict was handed down by a jury following a four-day trial.

The jury could not say beyond reasonable doubt that Taxi driver Dru Schaffer had been driving in a dangerous manner at the time of the incident.

Earlier this week, the court heard a quiet rural road was scattered with horse feed after a young Somerset region girl was allegedly killed by a passing taxi while she was riding her bike along Mount Tarampa Road.

Danielle Butterfield, 14, was hit by the maxi-taxi as she rode her bike along Mount Tarampa Road at Mount Tarampa at 4.15pm on Monday. Mum Belinda and stepdad Chris

The court heard the girl had made the journey many times with the horse food swinging by her handlebars, although on October 8, 2018, Danielle Butterfield didn’t make it to her horses or back home to her family.

Dru Schaffer, the Raceview man who was driving the maxi taxi that hit the 14-year-old pleaded not guilty to the dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

The-59-year-old, is standing trial before a jury at the Ipswich District Court and on day one the crown prosecution and defence called upon witnesses.

The court heard the girl’s neighbour Sandy Austin had just arrived home when she saw the taxi hit Dannielle along the 80km/h road.

Ms Austin told the court she got out of her car to open the gate to her property when she saw the Taxi driver glance at her before swerving left and hitting the bike.

Ms Austin said the taxi didn’t seem to break and continued driving about 100m before turning around and coming back.

“What the hell have you done?” Ms Austin recalls saying to Mr Schaffer before an argument broke out between the pair on the side of the road.

Dru Schaffer has been found not guilty of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death following an incident at Mt Tarampa.

Defence barrister Mitch Rawlings put it to Ms Austin that she would not have been able to see the impact based on where she said she had been standing at the time.

“I saw her legs go up into the air,” Ms Austin said.

Crown prosecutor Aleksandra Nikolic told the jury that they would hear evidence to suggest Danielle had been riding on the gravel road shoulder when she was struck by the left side of the taxi travelling between 79.8 and 87.6 km/h.

“He told (police) that the bicycle rider had veered to the centre of the road, that he swerved to try to miss her, but failed to do so … he confirmed he wasn’t tired or distracted,” she said.

Prosecutor Nikolic also noted police did not find any physical evidence that the taxi tried to break or avoid the bicycle.

Danielle Butterfield, 14, was hit by the maxi-taxi as she rode her bike along Mount Tarampa Road at Mount Tarampa at 4.15pm on a Monday.

“The main issue you will need to determine is whether or not the accused driver was dangerous in the circumstances,” Ms Nikolic told the jury.

Barrister Rawlings told the jury it was a tragedy that had occurred, but that the jury only needed to examine the evidence around what Mr Schaffer’s taxi was doing in the seconds before impact.

“You will hear a number of contradictory contributory aspects of what the car might have been doing,” Mr Rawlings said.

The jury would hear further evidence from police and hear the statements Mr Schaffer provided to police on the day of the crash and a year later when he was charged.

Originally published as Taxi driver Dru Schaffer found not guilty to killing Danielle Butterfield