An Aberdeen woman who crashed her car on the New England Highway killing her two-year-old daughter and critically injuring her 11-month-old son allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel after smoking three of four “cones” of cannabis earlier in the day, Newcastle Local Court has heard.
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The woman, 20, who police said was on a suspended learner’s licence, allegedly allowed her young daughter to sit in the front passenger seat of a hired Nissan Pulsar with a normal seat belt before the crash at Willow Tree on August 17.
Her 11-month-old son was in an approved safety seat in the back of the car and suffered critical head injuries in the crash.
He has spent the past two weeks in intensive care and remains in John Hunter Children’s Hospital, the court heard.
Officers attached to the Oxley Crash Investigation Unit arrested the woman on Tuesday and charged her with dangerous driving occasioning death, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, driving while suspended and driving with a passenger between six months and four years unrestrained.
The woman wept and covered her face with her hands in the dock as the court heard she should be granted bail to “make the necessary preparations for her daughter’s funeral” and be by her son’s side in hospital.
The court heard the woman was on district court bail at the time of the crash for offences listed for trial in Tamworth District Court in February next year.
The woman’s criminal history, which was tendered as part of the bail application, states she was charged with aggravated break and enter in company and assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm in company.
Her criminal history also includes offences of driving while never being licensed, negligent driving and driving while suspended, as well as several warrants that were issued for her arrested in July after she failed to appear in Muswellbrook Local Court.
Magistrate Steven Jackson granted the woman bail on the condition she not drive a motor vehicle and reside at either a home in Aberdeen or Ronald McDonald House.
He took into account that if refused bail she would spend a long time in custody before the matter was resolved.
Police facts state the woman was driving south on the New England Highway about 7pm on August 17 when the vehicle left the road about four kilometres north of Willow Tree.
The car went into a grassed ditch for about 50 metres before colliding heavily with a concrete pipe.
During an interview, the woman allegedly admitted to knowing her learner’s licence was suspended at the time of the crash.
She also allegedly admitted to putting her daughter in the front seat before the crash.
“The accused made admissions to falling asleep just prior to the collision and knowing she was tired while she was driving,” police facts tendered in court state.
“The accused also made admissions to having smoked three to four ‘cones’ of cannabis through a ‘bong’ about 10am on the day of the collision.
“The accused also made admissions to smoking numerous ‘cones’ of cannabis the previous day.”
The woman will appear in Newcastle Local Court on October 28.
