Crash driver was ‘flying’
A BANNED driver was seen “flying” at dangerously high speeds moments before a Leopold crash that left an elderly motorist clinging to life.
Concreter Dean Castven was running late for work when he ignored a red light and T-boned another car at the intersection of Bellarine Highway and Melaluka Rd.
The incident critically injured the 77-year-old victim, who spent almost three weeks in hospital as his life hung in the balance.
Castven, now 23, pleaded guilty yesterday to negligently causing serious injury and drug possession. The Grovedale man has urged a judge to spare him jail, arguing his own life had changed dramatically since the smash.
Prosecutor Andrew Moore told the County Court that witnesses saw Castven driving at excessive speeds before the collision, shortly before 7am on December 1, 2018.
Motorists described Castven’s car as “flying” at up to 140km/h along the Bellarine Highway — double the speed limit.
One driver told police, “It scared the s--- out of me.”
Castven failed to stop as he approached Melaluka Rd, slamming into the victim’s vehicle before careering into a pizza shop.
The court heard the victim was unconscious and trapped for about an hour, before being flown to hospital in a lifethreatening condition.
His injuries included a traumatic brain injury, and skull and facial bone fractures.
The man also suffered posttraumatic amnesia, leading him to believe his wife and brothers were still alive.
Castven, who was disqualified from driving at the time, told police he was late for work in Ocean Grove when he made a “silly” decision to run a red light.
“I dunno, (I) probably wasn’t really looking at the light and just thought, ‘Oh f---, I’ll go through it’,” he said.
A statement read to the court on behalf of the victim’s daughter said her father had been left a “shell” of the man he used to be.
“Another driver showed through his actions that he thought he had the right to play God,” she said.
“His thoughtlessness and reckless actions set the scene for the changes in many people’s lives.”
Defence barrister Colin Mandy, SC, said Castven was overwhelmed with remorse and had not driven a car since.
“He is haunted by what he did and is frankly tormented,” Mr Mandy said.
The court heard Castven had been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, and was also battling a brain cyst. Mr Mandy argued those factors would make prison more burdensome for his client as he urged the court to consider a community correction order.
The prosecution has called for an immediate jail term.
Castven, who is on bail, will return to court on July 10.