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Four times legal limit, driving at 147km/h – court hears of drunk driver’s deadly cocktail

All Shelley Louise Brumby can recall about a head-on collision that killed grandmother Robyn Richards is the sound of airbags after drinking so much she was at least four times over the legal limit.

Jun 10, 2022, updated Jun 10, 2022
 File image.

File image.

But Ms Richards’ family say they will never forget the day, with heartbreaking reminders everywhere, including the crash site near her daughter’s home where the 66-year-old died before her eyes.

Two weeks before her retirement and Christmas, Ms Richards had enjoyed a dream day with her daughter and grandchild at a Gold Coast theme park in December 2020.

However, it became a nightmare after she dropped them off and began the short drive home at Griffin, north of Brisbane.

Just a few hundred metres down the street she was hit by a heavily intoxicated Brumby, who was driving at 147 km/h moments before the crash.

Brumby had twice swerved into traffic before again driving on the wrong side of the road and hitting Ms Richards’ vehicle head on.

The 48-year-old had a blood alcohol reading of between 0.196 and 0.283 at the time of the collision, the District Court heard.

She had a “limited recollection” of the crash and “can’t recall” why she was driving.

“She remembers the sound of airbags deploying, not much else,” her defence said.

However, Ms Richards’ last moments will always be remembered by her family including her daughter and grandkids who rushed outside their home after hearing the crash.

“The site where mum died is visible from my house. I see it every day. I drive by it every day. My children see it every day,” the daughter said in a victim impact statement.

“My children witnessed my mum dying. They saw the car. They saw the paramedics. They saw the white sheet.”

Some grandchildren now require medication for anxiety and counselling.

“The guilt I feel … (because) mum was only on my street because I had asked her to come with us that day,” the daughter said.

There were other reminders of the tragedy, she said.

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Brumby lived nearby, shopped at the supermarket Ms Richards worked at and even visited the fast food franchises where her eldest grandkid was employed.

Ms Richards’ husband of 49 years said the day his wife died was a “nightmare … on repeat”.

“Like Groundhog Day … I am frozen in time on December 11, 2020,” Kevin Richards said in his impact statement.

Brumby spent weeks in hospital including time in an induced coma after the crash.

She suffered a permanent injury to her right leg which is now 4cm shorter than the other.

Brumby was initially charged with manslaughter.

She was sentenced to nine years in prison with no parole date after pleading guilty to one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

Brumby was also disqualified from ever driving again.

“You should never drink again,” Judge Leanne Clare told Brumby.

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