A Buninyong woman who crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with another car, causing life-threatening injuries to its driver, has been placed on a good behaviour bond.
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Fiona Simpson, 53, initially said she did not cross onto the wrong side of Geelong Road, between Mount Helen and Buninyong, on December 10 in 2017.
Her lawyer, Adrian Paull, told the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday his client was not responsible for the accident, which left one man fighting for his life and a woman with serious injuries.
Mr Paull said there were no skid marks and the informant was not qualified to say Simpson’s car was on the wrong side of the road.
But after discussions with police prosecutors, Simpson accepted she did drive on the wrong side of the road and pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving.
A green VL Commodore sedan was travelling south on Geelong Road when it collided head-on with a grey Subaru Impreza travelling north.
The driver of the Commodore was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries and was placed in a coma. He is still confined to a wheelchair.
His passenger was taken to hospital by ambulance with serious injuries, including fractures and a perforated bowel.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Michael Patterson said the pair were still undergoing surgery for their injuries, while Simpson received internal injuries and broken ribs.
He said when interviewed, Simpson told police she was travelling just over the 70kmh speed limit, she remembered seeing a flash before the accident and she had had two glasses of wine.
Simpson was on her way to a theatre rehearsal in Ballarat when the accident occurred before 3pm.
The court was told Simpson, a mother-of-three adults, had a perfect 30-year driving history and no prior convictions.
Magistrate Ron Saines said the incident was a reminder motorists were only seconds away from a catastrophe.
He took into account Simpson’s clean driving and criminal record, her role as a mother and wife and her strong example of leadership in the community and in her family.
Mr Saines said the accident had affected her personal costs, but the personal costs of the seriously injured victims was more.
Simpson was convicted and placed a 12-month good behaviour bond, disqualified from driving for four months and ordered to pay $100 to the court fund and complete an defensive driving course.
