Brent Jordan Smith jailed after fatal crash killing Tamara Boland

The teenage son of a mother-of-two killed in a horror head-on crash has detailed the ongoing pain he feels as the young driver responsible for the crash is sentenced.

Brent Jordan Smith pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death over a fatal traffic crash that claimed the life of mother of two Tamara Boland in October 2020 on Eton Homebush Rd.

The teenage son of a woman killed in a head-on crash has laid bare the ongoing pain he feels at the loss of his mother.

Tamara Rose Boland was driving on Eton Homebush Rd at Homebush on October 6, 2020, when a speeding motorist in an oncoming ute struck her Nissan sedan.

Mrs Boland died at the scene, her husband Michael learning of her death when he had driven 2.5km from his home about 5.45pm that day in search of her when she was late home.

He learned his wife had died when he reached a police roadblock.

Mackay District Court heard as the driver of the ute, Brent Jordan Smith, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death.

Mr Boland said he lived with a “lingering sense of loss” and described his wife as his “life partner, best friend and one person I could totally rely on and trust”.

Brent Jordan Smith pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death over a crash that killed mum of two Tamara Boland on October 6 2020 on Eton Homebush Rd at Homebush.

“I’ve lost my anchor,” he said, in a victim impact statement he read to the court.

“The night Tamara died, I went looking for her.

“I travelled only two and a half kilometres from our house to find the road closed.

“I was advised by police at the crash scene Tamara had passed away.

“Being told your wife has died at the crash scene in heart-wrenching. Seeing Tamara lying in the mortuary is heartbreaking.”

Six victim impact statements were submitted to the court.

Smith, then 24 and just two weeks shy of his 25th birthday, had left the Lake Vermont mine near Dysart about 3.23pm.

Smith, now 26, had had some drinks before he left the mine and when the crash occurred about 5.45pm, he registered a 0.062 per cent blood alcohol concentration.

Crown prosecutor Lara Soldi said a blood test taken about 7.45pm returned a 0.06 per cent blood alcohol concentration which she submitted showed a “reckless attitude” toward road safety.

She said he had been speeding, his airbags registering 131km/h in the signed 100km/h zone just five seconds before the point of collision.

At 3.6 seconds before impact, Smith’s car had dropped to 88km/h.

The advisory speed to navigate the bend on Eton Homebush Rd was 60km/h.

Ms Soldi said Mrs Boland had tried to swerve out of the path of Smith’s vehicle but the two collided, and the sedan came to a stop on its roof.

Ms Soldi said Smith and other witnesses had tried to help Mrs Boland at the scene, and he told paramedics he took the corner “too fast”.

Mrs Boland’s eldest son Ryan read a victim impact statement to the court, detailing the ongoing effect his mother’s death had on him and that, after graduating year 12, he visited her grave.

“Losing your mother at the age of 16 is a truly traumatic event,” he said.

“At the time of my mother’s death, I was in year 11.

“My mother always wanted me to achieve to the best of my ability in school.

“It was deeply upsetting for me to pass the important milestone graduating without my mother present.

Brent Jordan Smith.

“And on the day I graduated, the one thing that I deeply yearned for was the sight of my mother’s warm, loving, beautiful smile.”

He said he had been learning to drive at the time of his mother’s death which had “resulted in me sometimes experiencing extreme feelings of anxiety while driving”.

“I get these situations where I am physically repulsed by the sight of road markings, of standard road markings,” he said.

Barrister James Godbolt, acting for Smith, said his client’s remorse was “both real and genuine”.

Smith, from the dock on entering his plea, spoke directly to the court, saying, “I would like to apologise to the family and anyone affected by this.”

Mr Godbolt said his client had been full-time employed at the time of the crash and had returned to that position after the crash but after a period he was “clearly not coping” and had since taken on contract work in the mines.

The court heard full, empty and broken alcohol bottles were found across the edge of the roadway and near where Smith’s ute came to a rest in a culvert, and other bottles were found in the cab.

The crash scene on Eton Homebush Rd in which mother-of-two Tamara Boland died on October 6, 2020. Picture: Tara Miko

“When you were found at the scene, you made efforts to assist the deceased Tamara and you were clearly distressed,” Judge Jennifer Rosengren said.

“I accept the dangerousness in your operation of a vehicle is that you approached the corner at 131km/h which caused you not to be able to control the vehicle in your lane.

“The fact you blew over the alcohol limit after the accident is not relied on by the Crown as being causative of the collision but as the Crown has submitted, reflects a somewhat reckless attitude to road safety.”

Judge Jennifer Rosengren said there was no sentence she could impose that could bring back Mrs Boland.

“The tragedy flowing from your offending is nothing short of extreme,” Judge Rosengren said.

“For all this suffering and tragic loss, I have no doubt that you are deeply and genuinely remorseful for your actions.”

Judge Rosengren said Smith’s traffic history had six entries for speeding more than 13km/h, one of which occurred after the collision.

She said Smith had been warned about eight months before the crash he was at risk of accumulating demerit points for speeding.

Judge Rosengren said Smith was a low risk of reoffending or of causing further physical harm.

Smith was sentenced to three-and-a-half years jail, suspended after he has served six months.

The rest of the jail sentence will then hang over his head for a further three-an-a-half years.

His licence was disqualified for two years.

Originally published as Brent Jordan Smith jailed after fatal crash killing Tamara Boland