Girl in car crash lost a leg

Press, 1 August 1989, Page 27

Girl in car crash lost a leg

A schoolgirl, aged 16, who was pinned against a bridge by a car had had one leg amputated, and might lose her other leg, the District Court heard yesterday. The girl suffered the injuries while she was walking across Carlton Mill bridge at 10.45 a.m. on March 14.

She was pinned to a concrete bridge support by a car driven by Guy Daigneault, aged 60, a retired hotelkeeper, when the car spun after a collision.

Daigneault pleaded guilty in the District Court yesterday to a charge of careless driving causing injury.

He was remanded to August 17 for sentence.

The remand was to enable a further medical report on the girl’s condition.

Traffic Sergeant Graham Reeves, who prosecuted, said the complainant, who had had one leg amputated as a result

of the accident, was in danger of losing her other leg. She was scheduled to go into hospital yesterday afternoon for an assessment of its condition.

Traffic Sergeant Reeves said in relation to the offence that Daigneault was driving west on Bealey Avenue, in the north-ern-most straight-ahead lane approaching the traffic light-controlled intersection with Park Terrace, Carlton Mill Road, and Harper Avenue.

He failed to slow or stop for the orange traffic light, which then changed to a red light. He entered the intersection against the red light, at a speed estimated at 60 to 70km/h.

In doing so he passed a vehicle in the lane to his left, which was travelling in the same direction and had stopped for the red light.

On entering the intersection Daigneault was forced to move to the right to pass round an-

other vehicle which had been travelling in a northwesterly direction on Park Terrace in the east-ern-most straight-ahead lane and which had just begun to move into the intersection in response to a green light. Daigneault’s car then struck a station waggon to his left, travelling on Park Terrace, which had also begun moving into the intersection on a green light.

Two other vehicles in Carlton Mill Road, with a green light in their favour, had to brake to avoid a collision with Daigneault’s car.

On impact with the station waggon the rear of Daigneault’s car spun to the right and, without braking, his car travelled south across the intersection, and struck the pedestrian who was on the footpath on the bridge. His car pinned her to the concrete bridge support and had to be reversed to release her.

The pedestrian suffered a severed right leg and multiple fractures to the lower and upper parts of the left leg, and right upper leg, and pelvic and abdominal areas.

Investigations at the scene showed Daigneault’s car travelled 31.2 m into the intersection while the station waggon travelled 8.4 m into the intersection. Traffic was moderate and the weather fine at the time.

No tyre marks were found on the road surface. Daigneault had no previous traffic convictions.

He originally had pleaded not guilty to the charge, and to two charges alleging dangerous driving causing injury. The latter two charges were withdrawn by the Ministry of Transport yesterday, upon his plea of guilty to the charge of careless driving causing injury. Traffic Sergeant Reeves

sought a month’s remand for Daigneault’s sentencing because of what he termed the complex nature of the girl’s injuries, and her scheduled re-entry to hospital. Daigneault’s counsel, Mr Robert Murfitt, successfully sought a shorter remand. He said there were matters in issue with the Ministry’s statement of facts about the accident, although these did not “compromise” Daigneault’s plea of guilty.

Mr Murfitt said the accident had been very calamitous for the coplainant. It had also taken a toll of the psychological health of the defendant, who was seriously affected by the matter. Judge Kean said he understood the stress on the defendant. However, all factors relating to the accident, including injuries sustained, which were substantial, had to be before the court before sentence could be imposed.