Chris McKinney's trial begins for dangerous driving crash that killed Linda Varley on New England Highway near Bendemeer in 2019

Chris McKinney is representing himself in Tamworth District Court, and is charged with dangerous driving causing the death of Linda Varley.

It's the Crown case that McKinney was driving south on the New England Highway on February 28, when he crossed to the northbound lane, and struck and killed Ms Varley about 7.30am.

On the opening day of the trial, the court heard Ms Varley was headed north from Tamworth but died at the scene, 15km north of Bendemeer, after suffering multiple facial and skull fractures and injuries.

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It's alleged that McKinney was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Tiguan and had left Lismore shortly after 2am on the day in question. McKinney was headed home to Berriwillock in Victoria.

McKinney has pleaded not guilty, but the court heard he does not dispute the crash, or that it caused the death of Ms Varley.

The court heard the crash occurred on a sweeping left-hand bend, and that McKinney's Tiguan had left one of two southbound lanes, and collided with Ms Varley's oncoming red Suzuki.

Crown prosecutor Matt Coates told the court there was no evidence of any breaking or steering harshly by the accused, and "you'll hear evidence that there was no mechanical condition" that contributed to the crash.

The court heard McKinney, while in hospital, told a police officer that he stopped to use the bathroom near Armidale.

"The accused said, 'I don't know, the last thing I remember is stopping at a roundabout on the highway," Mr Coates told the court.

"The next thing I remember is being in Tamworth hospital."

McKinney said in his opening "the prosecution is trying to make a case that I was driving fatigued" and that "they are insinuating that I was driving fatigued".

Mr Coates said the Crown's case was "that the accused drove to the incorrect side of the road" and "the Crown has no evidence as to why that happened".

"It may be fatigue, it may be momentary inattention," he said.

McKinney briefly told the court "it was because of one of the drugs I was on", but he was ordered to present medical evidence in his case.

"If your blood pressure gets low, you can black out," McKinney said from the bar table.

"It might have happened that day."

McKinney, who walks with a single crutch, was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to Tamworth hospital before being transported to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital, where he remained for months.

On Monday, the trial heard from McKinney's friend who he had visited prior to the crash, as well as a crash investigator who attended the scene to investigate.

Senior Constable Damien Murphy said the vehicles collided "mostly head on, but off to the side of each other" and he "could not see any marks that could contribute to the collision".

He said the impact of the collision crushed the Suzuki downwards, and the Tiguan spun out of control, flipped onto its side, before righting itself again.

Those first on the scene of the crash, along with doctors at the hospitals where McKinney was transported to after the accident, are expected to give evidence in the trial.

McKinney is representing himself, and told the court on Monday "I'm not going to sign a blank cheque for anyone", after the court heard Legal Aid would put a caveat on his house, to charge him for legal fees for his trial, but the exact amount was unknown.

McKinney, who lives in Victoria, and was "in lockdown for 14 days," ahead of his case starting, elected to have the trial heard before a judge, and not a jury on Monday morning.

The judge-alone trial continues.