A MAN accused of causing a head-on crash while passengers were unrestrained in his car has had his case called in court for the first time.
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The Leader revealed earlier this year Phillip Malcolm Bonarius had been charged by Tamworth crash investigators in the wake of the February 3 crash at Bingara, which injured four people, including two seriously.
Bonarius had his case mentioned in Tamworth Local Court for the first time this week after he was questioned and charged at Bingara Police Station in the weeks after the crash.
The 44-year-old man was not required to enter pleas to two counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm (GBH), which can carry up to seven years behind bars, if convicted.
He also faces charges of negligent driving causing GBH; and driving with two unrestrained passengers.
Magistrate Julie Soars adjourned the matter to later this month.
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Legal Aid defence solicitor Lucy Maranga asked for Bonarius, a Bingara local, to be excused from attending court at that time.
Investigators allege Bonarius was behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry, which had three men inside, when he collided head-on with an oncoming Isuzu D-MAX ute about 6.30pm.
Emergency services were called to the scene on Bora Road, near the intersection of Halls Creek Avenue, on the outskirts of Bingara, and treated four people.
The trio in the Camry, as well as the driver of the oncoming ute, were rushed to hospital.
Two were flown to Tamworth hospital. One of them, a 53-year-old man who was a passenger in the Camry, was flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle because of the seriousness of his injuries.
He suffered a broken leg and arm, as well as other injuries, and remained in the city hospital more than three weeks later.
A 43-year-old man, seated in the back of the Camry, was taken to Tamworth hospital with leg injuries, while the 29-year-old driver of the D-MAX ute was released after being treated for spinal concerns.
Tamworth's Crash Investigation Unit looked into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
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Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
