Luxury Lamborghini which ploughed into a 15-year-old girl may have been put into a special ‘track’ mode meant for racing drivers prior to the deadly crash
- Sophia Naismith, 15, was killed after being hit by a Lamborghini Huracan in 2019
- Driver Alexander Campbell is charged with causing death by dangerous driving
- Former Supercars driver Luke Youlden gave evidence in court on Tuesday
- He said the car could have been put in Sports or Corsa mode before the crash
- Strada is the mode for street driving while Sports and Corsa are more advanced
A Lamborghini involved in a crash that claimed the life of a teenage pedestrian in Adelaide was most likely set to a driving mode for people more competent behind the wheel, a court has heard.
Former Supercars driver Luke Youlden gave evidence in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday in the case against Alexander Campbell who has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
Prosecutors have alleged Campbell was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Huracan model when it struck and killed 15-year-old Sophia Naismith at suburban Glengowrie in June last year.
Sophia Naismith (pictured), 15, was killed after being struck by a Lamborghini Huracan in Glengowrie, Adelaide in June, 2019
Alexander Campbell is accused of hitting the girl when his Lamborghini (pictured) with the number plate ‘PSYKO’ ran onto the footpath. In court on Tuesday, Former Supercars driver Luke Youlden said the sports car may have been the ‘Corsa’ track mode when it crashed
Mr Youlden, who said he had driven the same model ‘countless times’ told the court the cars could be set to one of three modes, Strada, for street driving followed by the Sports or intermediate mode then the Corsa or track mode.
He told the court that the cars were ‘extremely safe’ in street mode.
‘As you start pressing modes, they reasonably expect you to be a bit more competent as a driver,’ he said.
‘It would take a significant acceleration moment for the car to lose any sort of traction in street mode in particular.’
Campbell (pictured) has said through his defence lawyer that the crash was a ‘terrible, terrible accident’ that had turned his life upside down
The court heard that it was Mr Youlden’s opinion that the Lamborghini involved in the crash was either in the Sports or Corsa mode when the accident occurred.
But under questioning from Campbell’s lawyer, Craig Caldicott, Mr Youlden said he could not determine with certainty which mode the car was in at the time of the crash.
He said he had not examined the actual car involved and had not been to the accident scene.
Mr Youlden said he could also not tell whether or not the car’s electronic stability control system had been disengaged.
At the time of the crash, Ms Naismith (pictured) and a friend were walking along a footpath when they were struck by a Lamborghini
The court heard that while Lamborghinis were fitted with a computer chip that recorded details of the speed of the vehicle and other settings in the five seconds before its airbags were activated, that feature was not activated in cars sold in Australia.
At the time of the crash, Ms Naismith and a friend were walking along a footpath when they were struck by a Lamborghini which had mounted the kerb and crashed into the front doors of a restaurant.
The other girl, also 15, was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
After a previous court appearance, Mr Caldicott described the crash as a ‘terrible, terrible accident’ that had turned Campbell’s life upside down.
‘There’s no suggestion of alcohol, there’s no suggestion of drugs, there’s no suggestion of anything other than there was an accident,’ he said.
A picture of the luxury Lamborghini after it crashed into the front of a restaurant (pictured)
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