The father of the 19-year-old who NSW Police allege drove the stolen car that was involved in a crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge has defended his son.
Dashcam footage of the crash showed a Toyota Kluger travelling northbound on the Bridge before colliding with a HiAce van and a third vehicle. The Kluger then flipped onto its roof and shortly burst into flames, however bystanders were able to rescue the drivers in all three vehicles.
Since the Monday morning incident, authorities have allegedly identified the man behind the stolen Kluger as Queensland man Christopher Walker, 19.
Mr Walker has since been charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and assault with intent to take/drive a motor vehicle.
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Walker’s father, Chris Walker, said his son had moved to Sydney from Brisbane two weeks before the incident and described him as a “really, really good kid”.
While it’s not known why the former Clairvaux MacKillop College student moved to Sydney, his father said he was hesitant about the idea due to the flooding.
“He’s of very good Christian faith. He is devout,” he said.
“He’s always been my right hand man at home.”
The Sunnybank man also acknowledged the people who were involved in the incident and said the family were unaware of the circumstances that led to the crash.
“We’re very compassionate about anybody that’s been involved in this and has been affected by this,” he said.
“We don’t know what happened. We have no knowledge of what happened.”
NSW Police will allege Christopher Walker stole the Kluger as its owner changed a tyre moments before he crashed it into oncoming traffic on the Harbour Bridge.
After being rescued from the van, the driver of the HiAce was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital with pelvic and leg injuries in a serious but stable condition.
A 53-year-old woman who was rescued from the third car was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, one of the rescuers at the scene, Keni Vukici said he experienced some resistance when he went to help Christopher Walker.
“We actually had to hold him down at one point,” he said.
“He was yelling out ‘Get off me!’ then passing out again … it was insane.”
Christopher Walker remains in hospital under police guard. He has since been refused bail and is due at Central Local Court on March 23.
– news.com.au
Keyword: Watch: 100km/h bridge crash caught on camera