THE man accused of dangerous driving causing the death of 55 year-old Thorpdale man Martin Borg has been committed to stand trial.
Thirty-three-year-old Narracan man Glenn Ewan Murphy, faced the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on Monday for the final part of a committal hearing.
Murphy is also facing one count of dangerous driving and one count of careless driving. The charges relate to a collision shortly before 7am on 2 August 2013 along Saviges Road, Thorpdale between a Toyota Hilux driven by the accused and a BMW motorcycle ridden by Mr Borg.
The court last week heard Murphy was travelling west on his way to work at his parents’ farm and began to turn right into the farm’s driveway, when the Hilux collided with the motorcycle which was travelling east along the gravel road.
Victoria Police collision reconstructionist Detective Acting Sergeant Jenelle Mehegan told the court on Monday, when the Hilux first started skidding, it was travelling at approximately 43 kilometres per hour, at impact it was travelling at 30.7km/h and the post-impact speed was 21.77km/h.
Det Act Sgt Mehegan said the motorcycle’s impact speed was about 28km/h, but its travel speed was unknown.
The court heard Mr Borg’s left boot had been located in a southern paddock, near the crash site.
Det Act Sgt Mehegan said her recollection was it was found about 20 metres away, but it was not a reliable way to calculate the speed of the motorbike as it was located 18 days after the crash.
She said there was no way the boot came off without being interfered with or coming into contact with something else.
She agreed the Hilux was travelling either in its lane or marginally over the centre of the unmarked road.
Defence Barrister John Desmond argued the accused had a restricted line of sight before a crest near the driveway.
Looking at photographs of the scene, Det Act Sgt Mehegan agreed at 90, 60 and 40 metres from the point of impact, she could not see over the crest and at 20m from the point of impact there was still an aspect of blind dip.
However, she said during collision reconstruction she could not position where the motorcycle was on the road because its travel speed was not known. Murphy pleaded not guilty to the charges and will appear in the Latrobe Valley County Court on 21 October for a directions hearing.
