Two families torn apart by one crash: Weekend camping trip ends in tragedy as a girl, 16, is killed and her friend, 23, is jailed after he smashed his car into sandbank while riding along a beach
- Mitchell Hawkins was driving car at Five Rocks in Queensland in November 2017
- He was travelling with Hannah Dingle in the front seat when he crashed on sand
- Hannah died in the crash, and Hawkins was sentenced to eight months in prison
A man who crashed his car while driving illegally on a beach, killing a 16-year-old girl, has been imprisoned for eight months.
Mitchell James Hawkins, 23, was driving the car at Five Rocks near the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland on November 25, 2017.
He arrived at the popular camping site at 5.30pm for a weekend camping trip and began driving friends along the beach.
Hawkins was travelling with 16-year-old Hannah Dingle in the front seat when he hit bumps in the sand and launched the vehicle into the air. The car smashed nose-first into the sand at 70km/h and rolled onto its side.
Hannah was killed in the crash, and her parents later said their only child's death had torn them apart.
A man who crashed his car while driving illegally on a beach, killing 16-year-old girl Hannah Dingle (pictured), has been imprisoned for eight months
Mitchell James Hawkins (pictured), 23, was driving the car at Five Rocks near the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland on November 25, 2017
Hawkins was travelling with 16-year-old Hannah Dingle in the front seat when he hit bumps in the sand and launched the vehicle into the air. Pictured: Five Rocks
Hawkins' lawyer Ross Lo Monaco said his sister was in another car when the crash happened, and was the first on the scene, the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin reported.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 11.20pm that night, and Hawkins first spoke to police from his hospital bed at 3.50am.
He gave a blood sample that returned a zero alcohol reading.
Hawkins later admitted that he had illegally modified his car, raising the suspension and removing the front sway bar.
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He made the changes just a month before the fatal crash that killed Hannah.
Hawkins mother was seen crying outside the court after her son was sentenced to serve eight months behind bars with two years and one month suspended on Thursday.
He was convicted of one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and one count of having a vehicle in a restricted area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
He was disqualified from driving 'absolutely' and will have to apply to be able to drive again.
Hawkins later admitted that he had illegally modified his car, raising the suspension and removing the front sway bar. Pictured: Hannah Dingle
Mr Lo Monaco said Hawkins went to Hannah's funeral and had set up a fundraising account that had raised almost $24,000 for the Dingles.
Judge Michael Burnett said Hawkins' life had been 'significantly destroyed or ruined'.
At the time of her death, close friend Tony Lever said Hannah was a 'beautiful soul'.
'Hannah loved her four-wheel driving, hanging with friends and always had a massive smile on her face, no matter the situation,' he wrote on Hannah's Go Fund Me page.
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