Man jailed over crash
A MAN who drove a stolen car while high on methylamphetamine and smashed into another vehicle on the Bruce Highway had not slept for three days, a court has heard.
William Robert McConnachie, 30, faced Townsville District Court to be sentenced over a serious crash on the Bruce Highway near Yabulu on December 4, 2016, that caused grievous bodily harm to a female driver.
The court was shown dashcam footage of a car coming from the road shoulder, cutting across the highway and slamming into an oncoming vehicle. Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate said the victim had no chance to avoid being hit.
“In effect he was about 10m off the tarmac before he goes across both lanes to his right and hits the complainant’s car, as you’ve seen,” he said.
“The consequences to the victim are relatively serious although frankly if one looks at the damage to the front of that car, she was pretty lucky.”
Mr Walklate said McConnachie had committed the offences five days after being released on parole.
“Witnesses at the scene said he was sweating, he appeared to be hallucinating because he was talking to himself just after the accident and he himself, when he was asked about it, said he got into the car, drove on the highway in a state where he hadn’t slept in three days prior to the incident,” he said.
“When he walked away from the accident, Your Honour, he wasn’t wearing any pants and put some on as he walked away.”
Mr Walklate said the victim received fractures and dislocations to her arms, ruptures to the ligaments in her legs and had ongoing complications.
“The fact that more harm wasn’t caused is a matter of amazement,” he said.
Defence barrister Harvey Walters said McConnachie may have lost con- trol of the vehicle or fallen asleep. “One of the difficulties … when they’re coming down from methylamphetamine is onset of sleep can occur very rapidly and dangerously,” Mr Walters said.
“Whatever it is it has been brought about because of his intoxication and the vehicle has left the roadway, reentered the roadway, coming across the roadway and struck the complainant’s vehicle.
“Fortunately Your Honour no death has occurred.”
McConnachie was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.
He will be eligible for parole on May 28, 2020.