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A motorcyclist who lost part of his left leg following a “tragic” crash has forgiven the negligent driver responsible for his horrific injuries, telling a court that “shit happens”. Canberra handyman Peter John Wetteland, 35, was on Tuesday convicted over the incident, placed on a community corrections order, fined $660 and disqualified from driving for 12 months. Agreed facts tendered to Queanbeyan Local Court show the late night crash occurred at an intersection on the Barton Highway at Wallaroo, just north of the ACT border, in May 2019. The victim was riding a Yamaha motorcycle at between 90 and 100km/h when Downer resident Wetteland, driving a Toyota Corolla, pulled out in front of him from Church Lane. The vehicles collided and the victim was thrown onto the side of the highway, where he began screaming in pain as Wetteland stopped and ran to his aid. Wetteland waited for emergency services to arrive and returned a roadside breath test reading above the legal alcohol limit, but a subsequent analysis at Yass Police Station placed him just under at 0.046. The victim was, meanwhile, taken to Canberra Hospital, where surgeons had to amputate his left leg below the knee. He was hospitalised for several months as a result of his injuries and ongoing rehabilitation. Wetteland was initially charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, but prosecutors agreed to withdraw that charge after negotiations with defence barrister Jason Moffett. That left the lesser charge of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, to which the offender pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity. The victim, who provided a written statement to the court, sat in the public gallery at Wetteland’s sentencing on Tuesday. The man said he did not blame Wetteland for what happened, having noticed what he described as “a horrible blind spot” since returning to the intersection in question. “We are both victims of horrible circumstances,” the man wrote. “I do not ask Mr Wetteland for an apology and he should not ask for forgiveness. “We are both human and have both made mistakes.” The victim also said he did not want Wetteland to be punished. “Shit happens every day and no one deserves to be crucified for a simple mistake anyone can make, no matter the outcome,” he said. Mr Moffett described the victim impact statement as one of the best he had ever read, saying the man’s willingness to move on with “no bad blood” was a true testament to his good character. He said Wetteland was also a good person, who had shown “tremendous remorse” for an offence that was “seriously out of character”. “Tragedy is what comes to mind immediately,” he said. Mr Moffett conceded that the injury sustained by the victim was “very serious indeed”, but he said this was not a case where the offender had been affected by alcohol or drugs, or driving erratically prior to the collision. He successfully submitted that Magistrate Joy Boulos should reduce what would have been an automatic three-year driver’s licence disqualification to one year. In sentencing, Ms Boulos said: “This was a tragic set of circumstances.” The magistrate said the incident was the product of “momentary inattention” by a clearly remorseful man, who had no criminal history and only one speeding offence on his traffic record. As part of his community corrections order, Wetteland is required to be of good behaviour for 12 months. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
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A motorcyclist who lost part of his left leg following a “tragic” crash has forgiven the negligent driver responsible for his horrific injuries, telling a court that “shit happens”.
Canberra handyman Peter John Wetteland, 35, was on Tuesday convicted over the incident, placed on a community corrections order, fined $660 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Agreed facts tendered to Queanbeyan Local Court show the late night crash occurred at an intersection on the Barton Highway at Wallaroo, just north of the ACT border, in May 2019.
The victim was riding a Yamaha motorcycle at between 90 and 100km/h when Downer resident Wetteland, driving a Toyota Corolla, pulled out in front of him from Church Lane.
The vehicles collided and the victim was thrown onto the side of the highway, where he began screaming in pain as Wetteland stopped and ran to his aid.
Wetteland waited for emergency services to arrive and returned a roadside breath test reading above the legal alcohol limit, but a subsequent analysis at Yass Police Station placed him just under at 0.046.
The victim was, meanwhile, taken to Canberra Hospital, where surgeons had to amputate his left leg below the knee.
He was hospitalised for several months as a result of his injuries and ongoing rehabilitation.
Wetteland was initially charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, but prosecutors agreed to withdraw that charge after negotiations with defence barrister Jason Moffett.
That left the lesser charge of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, to which the offender pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity.
The victim, who provided a written statement to the court, sat in the public gallery at Wetteland’s sentencing on Tuesday.
The man said he did not blame Wetteland for what happened, having noticed what he described as “a horrible blind spot” since returning to the intersection in question.
“We are both victims of horrible circumstances,” the man wrote.
“I do not ask Mr Wetteland for an apology and he should not ask for forgiveness.
“We are both human and have both made mistakes.”
The victim also said he did not want Wetteland to be punished.
“Shit happens every day and no one deserves to be crucified for a simple mistake anyone can make, no matter the outcome,” he said.
Mr Moffett described the victim impact statement as one of the best he had ever read, saying the man’s willingness to move on with “no bad blood” was a true testament to his good character.
He said Wetteland was also a good person, who had shown “tremendous remorse” for an offence that was “seriously out of character”.
“Tragedy is what comes to mind immediately,” he said.
Mr Moffett conceded that the injury sustained by the victim was “very serious indeed”, but he said this was not a case where the offender had been affected by alcohol or drugs, or driving erratically prior to the collision.
He successfully submitted that Magistrate Joy Boulos should reduce what would have been an automatic three-year driver’s licence disqualification to one year.
In sentencing, Ms Boulos said: “This was a tragic set of circumstances.”
The magistrate said the incident was the product of “momentary inattention” by a clearly remorseful man, who had no criminal history and only one speeding offence on his traffic record.
As part of his community corrections order, Wetteland is required to be of good behaviour for 12 months.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
