A paraplegic who lost control of a modified truck causing the death of 40 steers has been brought before Dubbo Local Court on a charge of negligent driving.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tom Christian Siemer, 41, pleaded guilty when he faced Magistrate Andrew Eckhold.
Police said Siemer was driving a customised Mercedes cab over prime mover loaded with 80 steers on Mogriguy Road on the night of December 3 last year.
He was travelling at 100km/h when the cattle shifted to the right on a left-hand bend.
Prosecution facts tendered to the court said the movement caused the B-double to lose traction.
The trailer tripped to the right and the cab overturned and left the roadway, travelling 30 metres before coming to rest.
Siemer was ejected through the front windscreen. He was found two metres from the front of the cab.
Police said a passenger climbed through the missing front windscreen and assisted Siemer who had a broken nose and pelvis and a deeply lacerated head.
A witness alerted by a cloud of dust tied a cloth around Siemer’s head in an effort to stop intense bleeding before police and paramedics arrived.
A number of steers were already dead, others were euthanised at the scene.
The solicitor representing Siemer said the community had “dodged a bullet”.
“The accident could have happened in a busy area,” she said.
“My client suffered the most harm. The accident was human error, not a deliberate act.”
Magistrate Eckhold imposed a $250 fine.