The Canberra Times has an intriguing story on the fatal Wanniassa “hit and run” last week.
It seems Sharon Mortlock, 40, of Eden had been drinking with her boyfriend Luke Stafani, 40, in the Valley Tavern before the tragedy:
- She made a number of calls around 3am to her father, police and an ambulance, following the accident, but she had left the scene before the ambulance arrived to find Mr Stefani unconscious with serious head injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is believed Mr Stefani had been on the roof of the car before the accident.
She’s been granted bail.
Is Gangstar a card game like Pornstar?
I would never want to be a gangstar. The try-hard JACKASS approach works for me every time.
Reality has left the building……
Why is everyone trying to be a JACKASS these days?? Or a gangstar…..where has reality gone?
only Luke and Sharon will know what fully happened
Actually, only Sharon knows what happened.
Pumpkin said :
Gosh, did you tell the investigating police this before or after they went to the effort of investigating the site of the killing? I’m sure they were ever so grateful.
Pumpkin said :
What a comeback!! Love it!
*chuckle*
Beserk Keyboard Warrior said :
Sorry I’m a virgin, but thanks for the offer 😛
Beserk Keyboard Warrior said :
A delete key may be more pertinent.
Pumpkin: I have a spare enter key for your keyboard I’d be glad to lend you.
Thank you fnaah. Actually this talking about it is also good therapy, so thank you also Cameron. When this happened, I judged, and wish I had not! I didn’t even want to think of anything else except myself, of losing a close friend someone I called my “brother”. After a few days I then wanted questions answered but… then realised that no matter what I thought or what anyone else thought, we all still had the same feeling, it was the love we had and the loss we had of a wonderful man. I won’t judge Sharon now due to the fact that on that night of the accident or whatever anyone else would like to call it, only Luke and Sharon will know what fully happened. I know and so do so many others that Luke loved Sharon and even though it was a love/hate relationship they were always trying to make it work. Sharon had taken Luke’s pulse at the scene and realised he was dead, that is why she rang her father and told him she had killed him. She didn’t flee him knowing he was alive, and I agree with all of you, she should not have left the scene, but again who knows what she was feeling or thinking! I feel for her because she is lost, she HAS lost, and I will not judge her for any mistakes she has made, as we all make them! Luke will be buried tomorrow, but will live forever!
Pumpkin said :
You know, we actually have a system which, when its working properly, actually does do exactly what you describe above.
Judge people, and if needed, sentence appropriately.
“as she is paying for it now through her own conscience, through her guilt of having a drink that night and leaving Luke.”
‘But I felt bad afterwards” very rarely gets someone off a criminal offence, and some cynical people might view that as a rational reaction to making an attempt to run away from the scene of an accident to (potentially) avoid prosecution for either a) drink driving, b) accidentally\on purpose nudging a motor vehicle into someone you’d been arguing with, or c) both.
So how exactly is posting on RiotACT to defend her actually helping?
Pumpkin, regardless of what I’ve said, I hope you can make sense of this tradgedy, and I hope Sharon can also come to terms with what’s happened.
I guess the people here tend to be a little harsh, because they keenly sense that these sorts of accidents shouldn’t happen, and for someone to lose their life in those circumstances is tragic.
Again, I’m sorry for your loss.
Pumpkin said :
Won’t happen to me, because –
a. I don’t drink and drive.
b. I would never, ever leave the scene of an accident.
I have no problem with your position that none of us know for certain how we would react in those circumstances (unless we’ve already been in similar circumstances). That doesn’t mean we can’t assess what has happened and ‘judge’ accordingly.
I do have a problem with your contention that it was an accident. For all anyone knows Luke was alive after the initial incident and may still be alive if he was attended to immediately – something made impossible by Sharon fleeing the scene. If that was the case, then his injury may have been an accident but his death certainly wasn’t.
I totally agree with you, that was one question I kept asking, because I too would will that person to live and stay and hold that person until help arrived, but none of us have been in that predicament so all I am saying is we shouldn’t judge. If Sharon is guilty of something then she will pay for it as she is paying for it now through her own conscience, through her guilt of having a drink that night and leaving Luke. But nobody should judge because one day something similar may just bite us on the arse and karma will rare it’s ugly head 🙁
I’m sure everyone wishes they could turn back time, but then again, not everyone would leave the scene of so serious an accident.
Luke adored Sharon, as she did him, it was a tragic accident, don’t you think if you could turn back time that she would do that! I lost a beautiful friend 🙁
that’s why she left the scene, she was scared!
Scared of what, exactly? Scared of telling the police/ambos what happened? Scared of being blamed? Scared of being subjected to a breath test? Scared that he’d get up again and come after her?
I’m sorry you’ve lost someone you know, and I understand the desire to not see fault in your friends.
Granny said :
granny, i agree.
If it was a choice between my licence or my loved one dying alone, stuff the licence.
shock and panic mode? what crap!
dodge responsibility for actions? maybe. avoid confrontation with police and / or family?
more likely…