L-Plate driver mows down boy, 2, leaving him with crippling brain injuries, gets just a year in prison
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA: A learning driver has been put behind bars by the Brisbane High Court for a minimum period of a year as a result of recklessly driving while she was drunk and mowing down a two-year-old boy, who sustained permanent brain injuries. Madison Lorraine McKenzie, 23, ran over the toddler, leaving him with brain injuries, robbing him of the ability to walk, talk or go to the toilet on his own. It was later found that McKenzie had a higher level of alcohol in her system when she drove - her alcohol levels stood at .08.
It was when the boy was riding his bike on Georgina Street, Woody Point, with his parents and older brother when he steered his front wheel into the gutter and had attempted to cross the road. As his parents yelled, asking him to stop, McKenzie turned into the road in a white Toyota Corolla Hatchback and hit the toddler. Sh stopped her car around 600ft in front of the scene and ran back to check on the boy.
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Toddler was foaming at the mouth
It has been reported by the Daily Mail that McKenzie may have been driving at a speed of 37 to 42 mph in a zone that allowed a maximum of 31 mph. When she came to check on the boy, she reportedly admitted that she was trying to pick up her phone while still behind the wheel. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’d dropped my phone and I was picking it up and I didn’t even see him. Is he still alive?” she said. The incident happened at 4.10 PM local time. The child started foaming at the mouth from a brain injury, fractured ribs and femur.
McKenzie pled guilty to dangerous driving and causing bodily harm. She also admitted to drunk driving and driving as a learner while not being supervised. She will be eligible for parole after completing a year’s sentence in prison and will be barred from receiving a license for five years.
Victim’s mother speaks out
“Before November 2021 I was living my best life with two gorgeous healthy little boys, my husband and a good job,” the boy's mother said according to 7News. “That all came crashing down. He can no longer talk, walk, or go to the toilet by himself. He has multiple seizures and will need 24-hour care for the rest of his life, if it is not cut short as I’m told it might be," she added.
“The real factor that seems to have led to this is reaching for her mobile phone, she was distracted and had her eyes off the road,” McKenzie's lawyer Penny White said. She added that McKenzie had immediately admitted to the crime and was suffering from PTSD as a result of it. It has been reported that the accused also has a history of alcohol and drug-related issues.