A SUSPENDED learner driver was drunk as he sped along Freemans Drive before he slammed on the brakes, the car spinning out of control before crashing into a mobile speed camera vehicle and killing his 19-year-old mate in the front seat.
The teenager, who cannot be identified because he was a juvenile at the time of the crash, appeared in Broadmeadow Children's Court this week where he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death - drive under the influence and driving while suspended.
He remains on bail and will be sentenced in December.
Despite the fact he was an unaccompanied learner driver, was a few days away from finishing a three-month license suspension and had been drinking alcohol at a friend's house, the teenager was behind the wheel of his mate's car as it sped along Freemans Drive at Cooranbong about 12.15am on April 14 this year.
The speed limit is 60km/h as the straight stretch of road approaches Patrick Drive, but an expert report and radar data from the mobile speed camera show the teenager was driving at between 93km/h and 97km/h at the time of the crash, according to court documents.
It was just past the intersection that the teenager slammed on the brakes, causing the car to rotate clockwise and slide out of control for about 67 metres before the passenger side slammed into a mobile speed camera vehicle parked on a grass verge by the side of Freemans Drive.
The 43-year-old driver inside the Hyundai Santa Fe had been conducting speed checks when his work car was struck from behind and pushed about 15 metres into a wire fence.
The teenager's mate in the front seat was trapped in his vehicle and died at the scene.
The teenager was also trapped and had to be extricated by NSW Fire and Rescue.
He had suffered multiple serious injuries, including fractures to his ribs, skull and eye socket.
He provided a blood sample, which showed he had a blood alcohol reading of 0.085, an expert pharmacologist later opining his driving ability would have been impaired at the time of the crash.
The reading would have been in the mid-range of drink driving for an unrestricted license holder, but learner drivers in NSW must have a blood alcohol reading of zero.
The teenager was arrested when he went to Newcastle police station on May 11 and later told police he had no memory of the crash.
"I remember [the 19-year-old] picking me up and we went to Dora Creek where we had a few drinks at a friend's house," the teenager said. "I don't recall driving and the next thing I remember is waking up in hospital."
