Inattention caused crash
A moment of inattention by a driver is all it takes to leave people at risk of serious injury, a court has heard.
‘‘Most people charged with careless driving come from a moment’s inattention,’’ Judge Jim Large told Stephen Anthony Beck in the Palmerston North District Court on Thursday.
Beck was there to be sentenced for careless driving causing injury to three people.
Beck was driving back towards Palmerston North on January 9 after he and four others had been on an overnight hunting trip near Whanganui.
He was 1 kilometre from Bulls when he veered off the left side of the road, going into a ditch, before the car rolled and came to rest on its side.
The front-seat passenger suffered a broken leg, while the two passengers from the back were thrown from the vehicle.
One of them was dumped from the car onto the road, only suffering bruises and grazes.
The other, a 13-year-old male, came to rest 10 metres away from the car. He suffered skull and spine fractures, and was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.
In his victim impact statement, the teenager said he still suffered from back and neck pain.
He was not able to do physical education classes or ride his motorcycle, and had brain bruising, which could take two years to heal.
Defence lawyer Phillip Drummond said the injuries were out of proportion to how careless Beck was.
‘‘The chance of serious injury was relatively high with people being thrown from the vehicle.
‘‘There only needs to be a momentary mistake for the car to move half a metre either side. Once the driver has lost control the risk is a question of chance.’’
The judge said he was unable to easily figure out how much reparation people should get, as no reports had been provided.
The front seat passenger, who said in his victim impact statement he was out of pocket, had only provided police with undetailed bank statements.
Beck was fined $750, ordered to pay $750 emotional harm reparation to the front seat passenger, and disqualified from driving for six months.