The first thing that went through the mind of Rosalia Cikaitoga when she woke after a crash was that she had killed someone’s mother.
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It was late in the afternoon on August 31, 2012, when Ms Cikaitoga, now 29, went for a drive with her boyfriend and a friend from Albury towards Beechworth.
What happened next would change her life, and she hopes it can be a lesson for others not to do the same.
She relived the emotional details on Tuesday while talking to about 120 school-aged children at the Rutherglen Cool Heads program.
“The sun was getting brighter and brighter, at one point I was struggling to see so I started to slow down,” Ms Cikaitoga said.
“At one point I remember turning to my partner at the time and saying that I couldn’t see – the next thing I know there was a massive yellow light and that’s the last thing I remember.”
Her vehicle veered onto the wrong side of the road at Wooragee and collided head-on with another car, killing the 53-year-old driver.
She woke up to see both cars damaged and emergency services on scene.
“The first thing I heard was ‘she’s dead’,” Ms Cikaitoga said.
“I looked up at the other car and realised there was someone in the car.
“I looked at the lady who had my head in her lap and asked ‘did I cause this?’. She didn’t say anything, the silence just told me everything.”
She suffered two broken arms, a shattered eye socket and jawbone, broken ribs, and her retina detached from her eye, and her parents were told she may not survive.
Months of surgeries lead to a full recovery, but Ms Cikaitoga still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
“Panic set in – I had to look in the mirror, look at myself and what I had done to myself, and remind myself what I had caused for other families involved,” she said.
Police charged her with careless driving and she was placed on a six-month good behaviour bond after the magistrate said he believed Ms Cikaitoga tried her best to avoid the situation.
Six years on, she has come to realise she was stronger than she thought.
“If there’s one thing I want you guys to take home today, I want you to remember life is precious,” she said.
“When you get behind the wheel and you’re thinking about racing the car next to you, feel like speeding just to get there faster, pick up your phone to send a message, or do a burnout, think about what could happen if you crash.”
Other speakers at the event included Vicki Richardson, who daughter was killed in a crash while texting, Rutherglen Sergeant Mark Weller and Peter Wright from the Corowa Rescue Squad.
Actions can lead to fatal results
Inmates at Beechworth Correctional Centre understand the way one bad decision on the road can change a life – many are serving sentences for culpable or dangerous driving charges.
Three of them spoke at Rutherglen’s Cool Heads program on Tuesday.
One man who can only be identified as Singh was trying to overtake two cars when he smashed head-on into oncoming traffic, killing another driver.
He had thought there would not be any consequences for speeding and driving unlicensed.
“When you get away with breaking the rules, you justify it by telling yourself that everyone does it and you forget about it, but when you get into strife you can cause a lot of pain and destroy lives,” he said.
“I found out the hard way when my actions had fatal consequences for another road user.”
Nicholas also told how he will spend nine months in jail after seriously injuring his passenger while driving under the influence of ice.
“While in jail I’ve missed out on my daughter growing up, her first Christmas and my brother’s wedding,” he said.
“If there’s one thing you take out of today, it’s never take drugs and drive.”