Kathryn Matiszak ... was allegedly driving at 71 km/h when her car crashed into two people who died. Photo: Jason South
When Kathryn Matiszak ran a red light and crashed into a couple visiting Melbourne from NSW, the man she hit was thrown up to five metres in the air, a court heard today.
"He looked like a big dummy being thrown into the air," witness Anthony Farrelly said in a statement tendered to the Melbourne Magistrates Court during a committal hearing for Matiszak.
"At that point I couldn't believe what was happening. I actually thought it might have been someone making an ad it was so unreal."
Matiszak had her partner's two-year-old son in the white Holden Astra station wagon when she allegedly drove through a red light on Saturday night, August 13 last year, colliding with the couple, from Albion Park, south of Wollongong, as they crossed the intersection of Lygon Street and Queensberry Street in the popular restaurant strip at Carlton.
Sydney Swans fans Fernando Marino, 32, and his partner Karen McGovern, 31, who had been together for 10 years, were having a weekend away from their two children in Melbourne and planned to watch their team play Richmond at the MCG the next day as a belated birthday present for Ms McGovern.
Mr Marino died soon after the crash and Ms McGovern died in hospital three days later.
The collision orphaned the couple's children, Cooper, 6, and Jaylee, 4.
Matiszak, 29, has been charged with culpable driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death, speeding and running a red light.
In a prosecution summary tendered to the court, police said Matiszak had dropped off her partner at Melbourne Airport and was taking his son to his mother's house when the accident happened.
She was breath-tested at the scene and had not been drinking. She did not sustain any injuries and the two-year-old boy was unharmed.
Police estimated Matiszak had been driving at a minimum 71 km/h when she hit the couple. The speed limit was 50 km/h.
Mr Marino was thrown 13.54 metres and Ms McGovern 32.2 metres.
Motorist Peter Allison said he saw Matiszak's car approach the intersection and could sense she was not going to stop.
Mr Allison said he turned to his wife and said, "Look at this bloody idiot."
"I was blown away. It was like the driver was driving on a highway."
Witness Anthony Farrelly, who was walking across the intersection from south to north with his family, opposite Mr Marino and Ms McGovern, said he could not believe Matiszak's car was going through the intersection.
"I realised that the car was going to hit a male and female that were on the crossing walking from north to south. The female was walking on the left hand side of the male as they came towards me. I yelled out really loudly, 'F---!!!'. About half a second – maybe not even that – later the car hit them.
"I saw that the car hit both of them but then my eyes were focused on the guy and I didn't see what happened to the female.
"The guy was thrown up into the air. I would estimate that he went four to five metres in the air. He looked like a big dummy being thrown into the air. At that point I couldn't believe what was happening. I actually thought it might have been someone making an ad it was so unreal."
The hearing continues.
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