Teen allegedly left injured driver behind when fleeing car crash

A teenager allegedly fled the scene of a car crash he caused on the weekend, leaving behind a seriously injured driver trapped in the second car that was involved in the incident.

Numerous Triple Zero calls were made over a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of John Cleland Crescent and Coulter Drive in Florey at around 11:50 am on Saturday (3 August), a court document says.

It is alleged the driver of a Ford Falcon didn’t stop at a stop sign and failed to give way to traffic, causing their car to crash into a Toyota Corolla, which rolled before coming to a halt.

The Falcon’s driver then allegedly got out of his car and ran from the scene without stopping to help the person in the Corolla.

Officers arrived to find a man trapped inside the badly damaged Corolla, unable to move and complaining of neck pain.

A witness told police they had tried to chase the Falcon’s driver when he fled and managed to take a photo of him before he got away.

William Francis Taylor, who is accused of driving the Falcon, was arrested at a nearby home in Flynn a short time later.

The Falcon was unregistered in his name and he was allegedly found with its key when he was arrested.

The 18-year-old faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday (5 August) where he was charged with negligent driving, not giving assistance after a crash, driving while suspended, using an uninsured motor vehicle and driving an unsafely maintained vehicle.

He applied for bail, which was opposed by the prosecution, and his lawyer, Legal Aid’s Lesley Jayasuriya, accepted the court document outlining the allegations “paints a serious picture”.

Mr Jayasuriya said his client was quite young, was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, worked full-time as a tyre fitter and had family support. He argued that home arrest-style bail conditions could mitigate the risk of him being released.

Prosecutor Corinne Kennedy alleged Taylor fled the scene “with no regard for the wellbeing of the other person in the car, who was harmed in the incident”.

She said that, as he was arrested on Saturday, he had spent some time in the Alexander Maconochie Centre.

Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said there was clearly a basis for the prosecution’s concerns about him being released to bail, but she thought conditions could be put in place with the support of his family to reduce the risk of him driving.

Bail was granted on conditions, including that he lives in Isabella Plains and doesn’t leave the home unless he is with his mother or brother, does not drive and resides under a curfew.

The matter was adjourned to 26 August; no pleas were entered.

At the time of writing the court document, police were unsure of the Corolla driver’s injuries.