A 62-year-old woman has been arrested and charged after allegedly driving drunk and slamming her vehicle into four parked cars in a Sydney carpark, with one of the struck cars carrying a newborn baby. The incident, which occurred around 1:40 PM on Saturday in Turramurra, was captured on dashcam footage showing the woman appearing to discard a bottle into a bush before getting into her SUV and attempting to drive away.
Narrow Escape for Newborn Baby
Joshua Quaife, the owner of one of the hit cars, described the terrifying moment he saw the SUV accelerate towards his vehicle as he was unbuckling his nearly five-week-old daughter, Florence, from her car seat. "As I unclipped her, I could see a car in my peripherals just accelerating at me," Mr Quaife told 9News. The impact ejected Florence from her unbuckled car seat, but fortunately, she was uninjured.
Father Recalls Traumatic Scene
Mr Quaife emphasised the sheer luck of the timing, stating, "If it was a few seconds earlier, I would have been holding her getting her out of the car, and would have been crushed, so it was lucky I was two or three seconds too slow to settle her." He added that witnessing his daughter in such a state was deeply traumatising.
Chaotic Crash Sequence
After the initial collision, the allegedly intoxicated driver continued to reverse in a circle, swiping another car and then striking the first vehicle again. This reckless manoeuvre compounded the damage and heightened the danger for bystanders in the busy carpark off Ray Street.
Police Arrest and Charges
New South Wales Police arrested the woman shortly after the incident from a toilet block located near a grocery store carpark. She was taken to Hornsby police station, where a blood alcohol test allegedly returned a result of 0.268, more than five times the legal limit of 0.05.
The woman has been charged with high-range drink driving and negligent driving. She is scheduled to appear in court at a later date, where she will face the consequences of her alleged actions that put multiple lives, including that of an infant, at severe risk.
