A man who crushed a skateboarder after doing burnouts in his mother’s car began drinking vodka while emergency services rushed to the scene, a court has heard.
Jesse Edward Deaker Young (21) appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after admitting a charge of drink-driving causing injury.
His counsel, Andrew Dawson, said the decision to immediately start drinking straight spirits after the incident was a measure of his client’s shame.
The September 18 episode came the day after the funeral for Young’s grandfather, the court heard.
"He was looking forward to getting away from that and having drinks with friends," Mr Dawson said.
"That turned into ... friends egging him on and a particularly bad result for the victim."
Judge Emma Smith said Young’s actions were "irresponsible, selfish and egocentric".
"I don’t think your granddad would be very pleased with how you dealt with your grief," she said.
Young was attending a friend’s birthday in Fox St, South Dunedin, on the night in question.
Despite having consumed alcohol, the defendant got behind the wheel of his mother’s Honda Civic and performed a burnout.
"The amount of smoke generated from the tyres was sufficient to obscure his view when driving," court documents said.
Young, however, sustained the wheelspin until he lost control of the vehicle, which struck the skateboarding victim, crushing her against a parked car.
The defendant parked and apologised to the woman’s boyfriend before returning to the party.
He later admitted his actions to police and gave a breath-alcohol reading of 761mcg — more than three times the legal limit.
The victim suffered a lacerated liver and other injuries, which required surgery, and was unable to work for two weeks after the crash, the court heard.
She continued to suffer flashbacks of the incident which, she said, was exacerbated by the fact footage of the incident had been circulating on social media.
"[It was] a terrifying and extraordinary experience for her," Judge Smith said.
Young said he felt "horrible" about putting the victim through such trauma, but he pulled out of a restorative justice meeting with her because of his anxiety.
He was sentenced to five months’ home detention and ordered to pay the victim $1000.
Judge Smith disqualified Young from driving for 13 months.
