A Lamborghini involved in a fatal crash that killed a 15-year-old girl and injured her friend was seen ‘fishtailing’ as well as accelerating in a ‘harsh’ manner before the accident, a court heard.
The car’s driver Alexander Campbell, 37, is standing trial at the District Court in Adelaide on charges of dangerous driving over the accident.
His Lamborghini Huracan mounted the kerb and struck Sophia and her friend, also 15, before crashing into the door of a restaurant in Glengowrie, south-west Adelaide, in June 2019.
Sophia Naismith, 15, was killed in June, 2019, when she was struck by a Lamborghini that mounted the kerb in Glengowrie, Adelaide
Alexander Campbell (pictured) is the accused driver of the Lamborghini involved in the crash
Mr Campbell has pleaded guilty to aggravated driving without due care but not guilty to causing death and harm by dangerous driving.
Prosecutor Kos Lesses said during the pre-trial hearing before Judge Paul Muscat that he would show Mr Campbell was driving in one of the car’s ‘sports modes’ and should have known that accelerating was dangerous.
Alexander Campbell is accused of hitting the girl when his Lamborghini (pictured) with the number plate ‘PSYKO’ ran onto the footpath
‘The defendant must have known that when the vehicle was subject to certain speed or accelerating in a particular way when driven in sports mode, that it would lose rear wheel traction and lose control,’ Mr Lesses told the court.
‘He knew full well that that could happen because it happened that very evening, probably within minutes of leaving his house.’
The $330,000 Lamborghini involved in the crash is pictured with the personalised number plates
Mr Campbell had owned the $330,000 luxury car, which had personalised number plates that read ‘PSYKO’, for four months before the accident.
Mr Lesses said he intended to call witnesses who had seen Mr Campbell ‘fishtailing’ just hours before the crash.
Another witness would tell the court they saw Mr Campbell rapidly accelerating and breaking just minutes before the crash.
This witness would testify she saw Mr Campbell start filming her car with his phone.
‘What she’s describing is his general manner of driving in the moments before the collision, which is not the driving of a careful, attentive driver with two hands on the wheel,’ Mr Lesses said.
‘He’s driving to amuse himself in a playful way while filming another vehicle whilst modifying his speed.’
The family and friends of Sophia attended the pre-trial hearing wearing red ribbons
Mr Lesses said there was also evidence Mr Campbell accelerated in ‘in a harsh and dramatic manner’ at the car show he had attended shortly before the crash.
‘He was driving essentially side-by-side with one of his friends from the car event and at the crucial moment, one witness sees the car accelerate, another witness hears a very large engine sound,’ Mr Lesses told the court according to the ABC.
‘And that particular witness says it sounded like they were accelerating at the same time.
‘Whether or not they were street racing … in my submission, doesn’t affect the ability to prove dangerous driving.’
Mr Campbell’s defence lawyer Craig Caldicott said the witness testimonies were not relevant to the prosecution’s case about Mr Campbell’s knowledge of the car and should be dismissed.
Sophia Naismith (pictured centre with her family) tragically died after a Lamborghini ran onto the footpath in Adelaide in 2019
Mr Caldicott also argued to exclude proposed evidence from professional racing car drivers Luke Youlden and Dean Canto.
He said the pair had not driven the Lamborghini and could not sufficiently comment on how it would handle on the streets.
Judge Muscat will hand down his ruling on the argument on Thursday afternoon.
Sophia had just started working at McDonald’s, played a number of sports and was hoping to study physiotherapy at University
More than a dozen family and friends of Sophia Naismith were in court for the hearing wearing red ribbons.
At the time of the crash, Ms Naismith and a friend were walking along a footpath.
Her friend was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Sophia had just started working at McDonald’s, played a number of sports and was hoping to study physiotherapy at University.
Her family have started the Sophia Naismith Foundation to help young sportspeople achieve their dreams by awarding scholarships.
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