Couple’s message to the teenage girl who killed their unborn baby in a horror crash – as the driver is given a slap on the wrist
A heartbroken mother who was left in an induced coma and lost her unborn baby in a horror crash is still waiting for an apology from the teenage driver who avoided jail in a groundbreaking jail sentence.
Haylee Loccisano wants the girl, 17, to understand how the crash changed her life forever after the teenager was recently sentenced to community service and banned from driving for six months.
The girl pleaded guilty at Ipswich Children’s Court to driving without due care, causing Mrs Loccisano grievous bodily harm and destroying the life of her unborn baby Celeste.
Mrs. Loccisano appeared A current issue on Monday evening with a moving message for the teen.
“I just want her to understand how much of an impact this has had on my life, and all I want from her is to know that she is sorry and feels some kind of remorse,” she said.
“It has been our goal for years to have a child.”
“And I mean, we have one, but she’s just not from Earth, so we’d love to have an Earth baby someday.”
The 17-year-old’s conviction marked the first use of Sophie’s Law in Queensland. It meant that the judge was given the power to modify a custodial sentence for the death of an unborn baby killed in a crime.
Hailey Loccisano and her husband Connor want an apology from the 17-year-old driver who caused the death of their unborn daughter
The teenager was driving a Toyota RAV4 when she drove into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with the Toyota Hilux utility in which Ms Loccisano was a passenger (pictured)
Ms Loccisano believed the girl, who cannot legally be identified due to her age, got off easy when she read an excerpt from her harrowing victim’s impact statement to the program.
‘[After waking from a coma] I see a c-section scar and no baby. I had been leaking milk for two months and there was no baby,” she said.
“I feel like the victim, only I’m the one serving a life sentence.”
Ms Loccisano became pregnant with her ‘miracle baby’ Celeste after four miscarriages.
Her husband Connor couldn’t even touch his daughter when she was born, who couldn’t be saved.
“I couldn’t hold my baby because she had to go to the coroner’s report,” he said.
‘So I wasn’t allowed to touch her. All I could do was look at her.”
Sophie’s Law is now in force in NSW and Queensland.
It followed years of campaigning by Sarah Milosevic, who lost her unborn baby at 39 weeks after a drunk and drug-affected driver crashed into her car in 2014 and was later fined.
Ms Loccisano, then 24, was 25 weeks pregnant and a passenger in a Toyota Hilux company driven by her mother Teresa Burn in Purga, west of Brisbane.
Expectant father Connor Loccisano revealed he was not allowed to touch the baby before it was taken to the coroner
Haylee Loccisano expressed her frustration outside court after the 17-year-old driver who caused the crash that killed her unborn baby was given community service and banned from driving
The teenage girl driving a Toyota RAV4 became distracted and, in a moment of inattention, drove into oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision with the Hilux.
Attempts to save Celeste via caesarean section failed and Ms Loccisano spent the next eight days in intensive care with severe abdominal injuries that required several surgeries.
Ms Loccisano told the court that Celeste was her miracle ‘rainbow baby’ after she was told in her impact statement that she could not get pregnant.
“She was taken from me by a reckless driver… having her taken from me in that way affected me in a way that is hard to describe,” she said.
‘I remember every little detail of the accident. I remember the fear that filled my body… my baby suddenly stopped moving.”
Ms Loccisano said her extensive scarring was a daily reminder of her loss and she suffered constant physical and mental health problems.
Outside court, Ms Loccisano said she felt “not good” about the sentence.
“It wasn’t enough for the life that was taken,” she said.
Ms. Loccisano spent eight days in intensive care with serious abdominal injuries that required several surgeries
Acting Magistrate Sue Ganasan sentenced the teenager to 100 hours of community service and disqualified her from holding a license for six months without a conviction recorded.
The maximum sentence the teenager could receive was one year in prison.
“There is no escaping the fact that any sentence I impose will still leave the parties dealing with the tragic consequences of what happened,” Ms Ganasan said.
The teen’s lawyer, James Godbolt, told reporters outside the courtroom that his client was “obviously very remorseful.”
“It’s a terrible tragedy and nothing can make up for it,” he said.
After years of campaigning for Sophie’s Law, Milosevic called for more change after attending Tuesday’s historic sentencing.
She called for minimum custodial sentences for offenses involving Sophie’s Law.
“(Community service) is a free ride. I don’t think she’ll learn anything from that,” she said outside court about the teenage driver.
“As far as I’m concerned, she got away with it.”