Mackenzie Brinkley-Peet in Yeppoon court for Tanby Rd car crash

After police were called to a single-vehicle crash at night near Yeppoon, they found a “significantly damaged” car in a ditch, but the driver was nowhere to be found.

Mackenzie Shayne Brinkley-Peet, 18, crashed the car he was driving near Yeppoon at night. Generic image.

It was just after 9.30 on a Tuesday night when police were called to a single-vehicle car crash on Tanby Road near Yeppoon.

After officers arrived at the scene, they saw the car had gone down a ditch and was “significantly damaged”, but the driver was nowhere to be found.

One of the police officers found a wallet - it belonged to Mackenzie Shayne Brinkley-Peet.

Further police checks revealed the car was registered to Brinkley-Peet’s father.

The next day when questioned by police, Brinkley-Peet told them he was the driver in the crash.

Brinkley-Peet said that prior to the crash, he had been socialising after working all day as a concreter.

The 18 year old said he was not injured in the incident and had left the scene with friends who had been travelling behind him.

Brinkley-Peet pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on June 8 to driving without due care and attention.

Police Prosecutor Clancy Fox said the vehicle had “rolled multiple times” and Brinkley-Peet told police fatigue had contributed to the crash on the night of January 10.

The court heard Brinkley-Peet had no prior offending of this sort.

Magistrate Cameron Press asked a self-represented Brinkley-Peet if there was anything he wanted to say about the incident.

Brinkley-Peet replied: “Oh, no not really.”

Mr Press then said: “I hope you’ve learned a good, valuable lesson from this” and Brinkley-Peet said he had.

Mr Press fined Brinkley-Peet $575 and a traffic conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Mackenzie Brinkley-Peet in Yeppoon court for Tanby Rd car crash