A 17-year-old boy has faced a children’s court after allegedly hitting a 38-year-old pedestrian while driving his car at Bexley, in Sydney’s south, about 10.40pm on Tuesday night.
A bumper sticker was later seen on the teen’s Ford Falcon that read: “I drive like a c***.”
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Teen faces court over death of father-of-two in Bexley crash.
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Read nowThe court heard the P-plate driver, who cannot be named for legal reasons, braked in his car at the last second, after misjudging the 38-year-old father-of-two’s next steps in an “error of judgement” at the intersection of Preddys Rd and John St.
“He observed the victim standing in the middle of the road but believed the victim was going to stop, and he’d drive past,” the teen’s lawyer Michael Ayache told the court on Thursday.
The 17-year-old boy then allegedly drove 450m before returning to the scene with his family, making the incident an alleged hit-and-run.
![A 17-year-old boy has explained the ‘disrespectful’ bumper sticker a friend placed on his car before a fatal crash at Bexley.](jpg/baa7c8ea1b5db6dbc02ff4dc61e1f325af4fdd92e2c3.jpg?imwidth=650&impolicy=sevennews_v2)
![A father-of-two died at the scene of the alleged hit-and-run on Tuesday, despite CPR attempts from locals who heard the crash.](jpg/d17feadd2f24f664603e65203e1aa2a2bf056021e2c3.jpg?imwidth=650&impolicy=sevennews_v2)
Nearby resident, Akariva Volitiviti heard a loud bang, then called triple-0 and raced to help the man by giving him CPR.
“I told the operator, please hurry up. This guy, I think he won’t make it if (you’re) late,” Volitiviti told 7NEWS.
The pedestrian sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.
When he returned to the scene, the teen boy was taken to Kogarah Police Station and charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death and negligent driving occasioning death.
Court hears of ‘joke’ in poor taste
The teen driver’s lawyer explained in court the origins of the sticker found on the teen’s car with the vulgar message the magistrate described as “incredibly disrespectful”.
“The sticker was placed in the vehicle within two days of the incident by a family friend as a prank ... as a joke,” Ayache told the court.
The magistrate said the sticker reflected poorly on the teenager regardless of who put it there, but added that its presence on the car did not ultimately reflect on the teen boy’s state of mind.
He appeared visibly distressed as CCTV footage of the moment the pedestrian was struck was played in court.
He could face a sentence of 10 years in jail, if found guilty of the charges against him.
- With Annie Pullar
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