Jailed over crash which injured rider
A MOPED rider who was hit by a speeding driver and launched 30m is unlikely ever to fully recover from his injuries, a court has heard.
Cyenna Diane Allimain GraceNgaro (25) was jailed for two years and three months when she appeared in the Dunedin District Court last week.
She was on bail at the time of the crash after beating up her exboyfriend inside a bank just weeks earlier and had spent time in a mental health facility.
On October 12, GraceNgaro — midway through serving a sixmonth driving ban — was smoking cannabis at her new partner’s home.
When he went to bed she took the keys to his Toyota Camry and began her illfated joyride.
About 10.50pm, CCTV captured the defendant driving the wrong way round the Octagon, exiting at lower Stuart St in the wrong lane.
GraceNgaro shot through the first set of lights at 73kmh — more than double the inner city speed limit.
There was a near miss as she continued through the intersection with State Highway 1 (Cumberland St) on a red light, narrowly avoiding a collision with a vehicle travelling north.
Moments later though, she turned left instead of right on the oneway system, slamming into the victim who was waiting at the traffic lights outside the railway station in Castle St.
The 27yearold had his headlight on and was wearing a fluorescent yellow vest along with a safety helmet.
GraceNgaro hit him head on at 76kmh, flinging him on to the bonnet.
“The victim was thrown through the air, repeatedly somersaulting before landing approximately 30m away from where he was first struck by the defendant,” a police summary said.
After hitting the kerb, GraceNgaro’s vehicle was airborne for 12m, landing in the middle of the gardens outside the station, facing north.
The defendant got out of her car, walking past the unconscious victim.
At no point did she check on him or call emergency services and she was walking away from the scene when a bystander stalled her until police arrived.
GraceNgaro passed a breathalcohol test but then refused to undertake a compulsory impairment test, claiming it was because an officer was “being a dick”.
The victim underwent immediate surgery to save his leg from amputation and the injuries would “likely be carried by him for the rest of his life”, doctors said.
He now used crutches and faced a second operation, all while battling anxiety and depression in the months since the incident.
GraceNgaro initially pleaded not guilty to reckless driving causing injury, claiming the brakes on the Toyota had failed, but Judge Kevin Phillips wrote that off as “nonsense”.
He noted she had previously racked up convictions for aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary and was jailed for three and ahalf years in 2018 following a spree of dairy holdups.
Her counsel Brendan Stephenson said regular medication in prison had improved his client’s outlook.
GraceNgaro, who was also convicted of assault in a family relationship, disqualified driving and refusing a compulsory impairment test, will be eligible for parole next month.
She was disqualified from driving for three years. rob.kidd@odt.co.nz