A Perth court has heard Janet Louise Kirby had been playing a drinking game before she got behind the wheel of her car in Merriwa in March with a blood alcohol reading of 0.110.
Kirby had six passengers aged between 15 and 20 in a car only legally able to carry five people and was engaging in risky driving, swerving towards a scooter, trying to scare its riders, before she lost control of her car, which left the road and rolled.
The crash killed her 15-year-old daughter Lois Kirby, who was travelling the car’s boot. She was thrown from the vehicle and died from her injuries. Three other passengers were also injured.
Prosecutor Zarah Burgess said the incident was more than the “tragic accident” it initially appeared to be.
“What happened was tragic and no doubt Ms Kirby will be living with the heartbreaking consequences for the rest of her life, but there was potential for the tragedy to be so much more,” Ms Burgess said.
“She allowed two people to travel unsecured in the boot of the car. She drove in a deliberately reckless manner, putting herself, her passengers and other road users at risk.”
Kirby will be sentenced later this week.
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