A witness has described how she saw Brock Kusen’s car gradually drift over the wrong side of the road, just before it collided with her car – leading to what would be a young woman’s death.
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Bronwyn Holloway gave evidence in Wangaratta County Court on Wednesday that she was forced to take evasive action on the morning of June 1 last year.
“As we were approaching each other, I could see the front of his car was just over the white line and I wasn’t sure why, so I moved left,” she said.
“Sometimes people don’t always pay attention when they’re driving and they move back.”
As we were approaching each other, I could see the front of his car was just over the white line.
- Bronwyn Holloway
On this occasion Kusen, now 20, did not move back.
He hit the rear, right-hand side of Ms Holloway’s car – forcing her off the road into a paddock – and then crashed head-on into Jessica McLennan’s car, which had been travelling behind.
Kusen has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing death.
Ms Holloway, a nurse at Wangaratta hospital, called triple zero after the crash and went over to help Kusen.
She was not aware at that stage he had crashed into Miss McLennan’s car.
“I went to Brock’s car first because I was concerned for him. He was trying to pull his leg out and I was worried he might do more damage. I was trying to calm him down,” she said.
“He was trying to tell me his name, it was a bit hard because his face was swollen.”
Ms Holloway was then asked by others who had stopped at the crash scene to help Miss McLennan before paramedics arrived.
The 23-year-old was airlifted to Melbourne for surgery, but could not recover from the injuries and died three days later.
Peter Fuller, who had worked the same night shift as Kusen at Alpine MDF in Wangaratta before the crash, said the accused did not appear fatigued when leaving work at 6am and showed no signs of unusual driving.
He agreed with a suggestion from defence barrister Diana Price that Kusen was alert and awake, not speeding, on the correct side of the road and driving safely.
Ms Price has argued the act of crossing the white line on Rutherglen-Springhurst Road was a tragic accident, not a dangerous criminal act.
The trial is still to hear expert evidence from the police major collision investigation unit and is expected to continue into early next week.
