A truck driver who admitted to having illicit substances in his system when he fatally struck a three-year-old girl has avoided a jail sentence, receiving only a $400 fine and a one-month driving ban.
Details of the Incident
Alan Richard Knobloch, 52, from Rosemount, will be back behind the wheel in just one month after his truck ploughed into four vehicles across two intersections at Banya in early January.
Three-year-old Ineza King was a passenger in one of the cars struck by the truck. She sustained critical injuries in the crash and died a week later in hospital. Her one-year-old sister was also seriously injured.
Court Findings
The court heard that Knobloch had trace amounts of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his blood at the time of the crash, though not enough to have affected his driving. However, the court was also told he had suffered an epileptic seizure in the moments before the smash.
Jet's Law
Under Jet's Law, drivers are required to notify the Department of Transport and Main Roads of any permanent or long-term medical condition that may affect their ability to drive safely. The law was named after 22-month-old Jet Rowland, who was killed in 2004 by a driver having an epileptic seizure on the Logan Motorway.
Despite the tragic circumstances, Knobloch was fined $400 and disqualified from driving for one month.
