‘It is etched so deeply in my memory, I doubt I’ll ever forget it’

BEFORE describing the crash that took Nakita Strange’s life, the man who tried to revive her apologised to her family.

‘‘I’m sorry. This will be hard for them to hear,’’ Anthony Odering said.

The ute he was driving slammed into the side of a Ford Laser which Shay Richards had driven through an intersection.

‘‘I remember it very vividly,’’ Mr Odering said.

‘‘I recall the impact in slow motion . . . my vehicle went up on two wheels with the force of the impact and I remember thinking, ‘this is going to end badly’.’’

Mr Odering, who fought back tears as he gave his chilling account, said he had replayed the incident with every possible permutation.

A millisecond earlier and he might have been dead.

‘‘What if I hadn’t stopped to have that pie? I would’ve been through the intersection 10 minutes earlier,’’ he said.

After the collision he knew he was not badly injured and immediately went to the aid of those in the other vehicle.

‘‘So much happened in those moments,’’ Mr Odering said. ‘‘Some of it was a blur . . . some of it is etched so deeply in my memory, I doubt I’ll ever forget it.’’

The back window of the Ford was smashed.

He reached in to check for Ms Strange’s pulse.

‘‘There was none.’’

‘‘I got in the car next to her and though I knew she must’ve been badly hurt I remember thinking how peaceful and beautiful she looked.

‘‘That mental image haunts me’’ he told the court.

Mr Odering’s efforts at mouth to mouth only resulted in deep gurgling sounds.

He removed Ms Strange’s body from the vehicle to perform CPR.

‘‘The first compression resulted in blood spilling from Nakita’s ears and I remember wanting to stop, but the ambulance officers said I should carry on.’’ It was not enough.

‘‘There was a time when I realised Nakita was dead. I want to explain what that moment feels like,’’ Mr Odering said.

‘‘Nakita’s family couldn’t be there so I said goodbye for them; kissed her on the cheek and wished her godspeed. I don’t care if that sounds creepy. Until you’ve experienced something like this, you can’t know.’’

He had attended the funeral. The family and the police were absolutely satisfied he had no fault in the accident.

‘‘The feeling Nakita’s blood is on my hands is a hard one to shake,’’ Mr Odering said.

He wanted young people to realise that every decision caused a ripple, every action had a consequence.

If that could be understood ‘‘perhaps Nakita won’t have died in vain’’.