A young driver has admitted he was a ‘coward’ for mowing down a 61-year-old parking attendant and leaving him lying on the road with life-threatening injuries just moments after being ticketed.
Matthew Valerio was sentenced in the NSW District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and failing to stop and assist following a vehicle collision causing grievous bodily harm.
The 22-year-old admitted crashing into the ranger, who suffered traumatic brain and spinal injuries and lacerations to his liver, leaving him in a coma for two weeks.
During sentencing, Judge Kara Shead found Valerio knew he had collided with a person in Sydney’s Inner West on November 26, 2022, and that the impact caused the man to be thrown under a parked car.
The court heard he ‘panicked’ and drove away so quickly he crashed into another parked car.
“I thought I was going to jail,” the 22-year-old explained after his arrest.
Matthew Valerio (pictured) admitted he was a ‘fool’ for leaving a Sydney parking attendant ‘catastrophically injured’ on the road
Judge Shead found that his panic was consistent with his knowledge that he had struck a person rather than another vehicle.
In a statement to the court, Valerio said he had “infinite guilt” and thought every day about the “catastrophic” damage he had caused to the parking attendant.
“I am disgusted by the extent of the injuries I have caused,” he said.
‘I accept that I was a coward to leave him on the side of the road. I wish I could take it back, and I thank God I didn’t kill him.”
Judge Shead ruled that the offenses had occurred as the victim was carrying out his duties as a parking attendant.
“County law enforcement officers have the right to perform their sometimes difficult jobs safely… and must be free from danger and harm,” she said.
She did not accept Valerio’s testimony that less than two minutes before the collision he was “only mildly irritated because he had received a ticket.”
The court was told Valerio was seen on CCTV parking his white Mazda car in a restricted zone in Enmore in Sydney’s inner west just before 8pm on November 26.
The vehicle was spotted about 40 minutes later by a parking attendant who issued a $120 ticket to the unattended vehicle for being illegally parked.
The seriously injured ranger was one of two (photo) who issued a fine to Valerio in November 2022
Court documents show Valerio and his friend came up to the ranger yelling “That’s my car, that’s my car,” who told them it was too late to dispute the ticket.
CCTV captured someone repeatedly swearing at the parking attendant before Valerio and his friend got back into the white ute and drove away through Marian St.
Valerio then made a three-point turn and drove back towards the parking attendant and his colleague, who were both wearing safety vests.
Just 90 seconds after his altercation with the first parking attendant, Valerio crashed into the second parking attendant and a stationary Toyota.
Instead of stopping, he left the 61-year-old man with life-threatening injuries under a parked car as he drove away.
The parking attendant was in a coma in intensive care for two weeks after the horrific accident. When he woke up, he had no memory of the crash.
The victim suffered traumatic brain and spinal injuries, a 4-inch laceration to his liver and fractures to his pelvis, ribs and arms.
He had to undergo multiple surgeries and stay in the hospital for almost four months while he recovered. The court heard he continues to receive specialist treatment for his persistent pain.
“He will face ongoing medical problems for the rest of his life,” Judge Shead said in summarizing the man’s victim impact statement.
“He feels like he won’t be able to take care of himself in the future… which makes him feel uncomfortable because he’s worried about how he’s going to cope.”
The parking attendant said a normal life was ‘no longer possible’ after the crash left him with screws in his spine and several steel plates in his body.
“I’m happy to be alive,” he said in his statement.
“(Valerio) has definitely taken away the joy of the golden years of my life.”
The court heard the 61-year-old suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the crash, and has constant nightmares of people coming up to him and hitting him.
Judge Shead noted that the crash’s “devastating” “long-term effects” on the man’s life were an unfortunate consequence of Valerio’s reckless actions.
Marion St in Enmore, where the ranger was hit, is a very narrow street
CCTV recorded Valerio pausing for less than two seconds when he was 30 meters away from the collision, but he did not get out of his car or call emergency services.
He was in such a hurry to flee the scene that he crashed into a parked Audi around the corner.
“The perpetrator disregarded public safety,” Judge Shead said.
She sentenced Valerio to one year and ten months in prison, retroactively due to time already served.
He will be eligible for parole in December this year and his sentence expires in September next year.
The judge accepted that Valerio suffered from mental illness that would make his time in custody more difficult, noting that he had been depressed after the horrific collision.
She also took into account his youth, remorse, clean record and “excellent prospects for rehabilitation.”
Character references for the 22-year-old described him as ‘compassionate, caring and gentle’ and called the offenses ‘out of character’.